Outbound Email Messages Test

The kernel of the SAP Web Application Server supports SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol). This enables e-mail exchange between the SAP system and each SMTP mail server, without having to use additional external components. The SAP system sends the outbound e-mails to a separate mail server, whilst the e-mails in the inbound direction can be received by any number of mail servers.

Exchanging faxes and text messages (pager/SMS) using SMTP is also possible. For this, faxes and messages are packed as e-mails. For the send process, the mail server analyzes the domain of the recipient addresses and either forwards the e-mails to an internal fax-/text message server or to an external provider. For receiving, the fax-/text message server or provider sends e-mails to addresses that have the domain of the SAP system.

E-Mails sent from an SAP application are first stored in a queue. A periodical background process, the SAPconnect send job, gets the E-Mails from this queue and sends them over the Internet. If the SAPConnect send job fails to obtain and send the emails or if error prone messages were sent, the recipients of the emails may miss out on important updates on critical issues. To avoid such failures, it is essential to keep track on the messages sent to the users through various types of communication technology. The Outbound Email Messages test helps administrators in this regard!

For each type of communication technology through which emails are sent, this test reports the total number of messages sent, the messages that were sent with warnings and errors and the messages that were initializing. Using this test, administrators can figure out the communication technology through which maximum number of error prone messages and warning messages were sent. This would help administrators in investigating the reason for sending such error - prone messages.

Target of the test : A SAP ABAP System

Agent deploying the test : An internal agent

Outputs of the test : One set of results for each type of communication technology used by the target SAP ABAP System being monitored.

Configurable parameters for the test
Parameter Description

Test Period

How often should the test be executed

Host

Host name of the server for which the test is to be configured.

Port

Enter the port to which the specified host listens.

Connection Type

Specify how this test should connect to the target SAP ABAP System and collect the required metrics. By default, this flag is set to Application Server indicating that the test uses the IP address of a SAP ABAP Instance connected to the target SAP ABAP System to collect the required metrics. If this flag is set to Logon Group, then, the eG agent automatically connects to the logon group, chooses any one of the available SAP ABAP Instances within the group to connect to the target SAP ABAP System and collects the required metrics.

SID

Specify the three-digit server-specific unique identification code associated with the target SAP ABAP System here. The SID helps in uniquely identifying the target SAP ABAP System.

Application Server

This parameter appears only when the Connection Type flag is set to Application Server. For the eG agent to connect to the target SAP ABAP System and collect metrics, this test should be configured with the IP address of any of the SAP ABAP Instances associated with the target SAP ABAP System. Specify such IP address in this text box.

Message Server

This parameter appears only when the Connection Type flag is set to Logon Group. Specify the IP address of the SAP Message Server to which the target SAP ABAP System is connected to.

Logon Group

This parameter appears only when the Connection Type flag is set to Logon Group. A logon group is a group of servers that belongs to one SAP system. Logon groups are used to automatically distribute user logons to individual instances or to groups of SAP instances (Applications Server). Specify the name of the logon group that should be used by the eG agent to connect to any one of the SAP ABAP Instances within the group and collect the required metrics from the target SAP ABAP System.

ClientName

Specify the ID of the client system as what the eG agent will be connecting to the SAP ABAP instance. To know how to determine the client ID to use, follow the instructions provided in Determining the Client ID/Name for the eG Agent to Connect to the SAP ABAP Instance.

SAPUser

Typically, to connect to a SAP ABAP instance and run tests, the eG agent requires the permissions of a SAP user who has been assigned with certain authorization objects. Ideally, you will have to create a new user role on the SAP ABAP instance for this purpose, associate the above-mentioned authorization objects with that role, and assign the new role to an existing SAP user. The procedure for the same has been provided in Creating a New User Role for Monitoring and Assigning it to a SAP User. Once the new role is assigned to a SAP user, specify the name of this user against SAPUser.

Password

The password of the specified SAPUser.

Confirm Password

Confirm the password by retyping it here.

SysNo

An indicator of the TCP/IP port at which the SAP server listens. For example, for a server that listens at port 3200, the SysNo will be ‘00’. Similarly, if the SAP server port is 3201, the SysNo will have to be specified as ‘01’. Therefore, in the SysNo text box specify the system number of the SAP server with which the specified client communicates. To know the system number for the ABAP server being monitored, follow the procedure detailed in Identifying the SAP Router String and System Number.

Router

If the SAP client with the specified ClientName exists in a network external to the SAP server, then a router will be used to enable the server-client communication. In such a case, specify the router string of the router in the Router text box. If both the client and the server exist in the same network, then specify ‘none’ against the Router text box. To know what is the SAP Router string for the ABAP server being monitored, follow the procedure detailed in Identifying the SAP Router String and System Number.

InstanceName

This is set to none by default. This implies that the eG agent automatically discovers the instance name at run time. 

Timeout

Indicate the duration (in seconds) for which this test should wait for a response from the SAP ABAP instance. By default, this is set to 120 seconds.

JCO Version

The eG agent uses the SAP JCO library to connect to the SAP ABAP system and pull out metrics. To enable the eG agent to make this connection and query the metrics, you need to specify the version of the SAP JCO library that the agent needs to use. For instance, to instruct the eG agent to use JCO v2.1.19, it would suffice if you specify the ‘major version number’ alone against JCO Version – in the case of this example, this will be 2.x. Note that if you have downloaded the SAP JCO CONNECTOR files for SAP JCO version 3 from the SAP market place (as instructed by Downloading the SAP JCO Connector files Required for Monitoring ), then the JCO Version configuration should be 3.x. 

Show All Email Details

By default, this flag is set to No. This implies that the test collects metrics only from the emails with the following states - Initprog, warning, error, info and transmitted. However, if you wish to collect metrics irrespective of the states mentioned in the emails, set this flag to Yes.

DD Frequency

Refers to the frequency with which detailed diagnosis measures are to be generated for this test. The default is 1:1. This indicates that, by default, detailed measures will be generated every time this test runs, and also every time the test detects a problem. You can modify this frequency, if you so desire. Also, if you intend to disable the detailed diagnosis capability for this test, you can do so by specifying none against DD frequency.

Detailed Diagnosis

To make diagnosis more efficient and accurate, the eG Enterprise embeds an optional detailed diagnostic capability. With this capability, the eG agents can be configured to run detailed, more elaborate tests as and when specific problems are detected. To enable the detailed diagnosis capability of this test for a particular server, choose the On option. To disable the capability, click on the Off option.

The option to selectively enable/disable the detailed diagnosis capability will be available only if the following conditions are fulfilled:

  • The eG manager license should allow the detailed diagnosis capability
  • Both the normal and abnormal frequencies configured for the detailed diagnosis measures should not be 0.
Measurements made by the test
Measurement Description Measurement Unit Interpretation

Total messages

Indicates the total number of messages sent using this type of communication technology.

Number

For each message sent, the detailed diagnosis of this measure lists the Client, External Transmission, Recipient Year, Recipient Number, Send time, Transfer time, Status, Mail Server, Return code, Node, Job name and Job Count.

Initializing messages

Indicates the number of messages initialized for sending using this type of communication technology during the last measurement period.

Number

 

Warning messages

Indicates the number of messages that were sent with warnings using this type of communication technology during the last measurement period.

Number

Compare the value of this measure across the types of communication technology to figure out the type through which maximum number of messages with warnings were sent.

Error messages

Indicates the number of error-prone messages that could not be sent using this type of communication technology during the last measurement period.

Number

Ideally, the value of this measure should be zero. Compare the value of this measure across the types of communication technology to figure out the type through which maximum number of error prone messages could not be sent.

For each error- prone message, the detailed diagnosis of this measure lists the Client, External Transmission, Recipient Year, Recipient Number, Send time, Transfer time, Status, Mail Server, Return code, Node, Job name and Job Count.

Informational messages

Indicates the number of informational messages sent using this type of communication technology during the last measurement period.

Number

For each information message sent, the detailed diagnosis of this measure lists the Client, External Transmission, Recipient Year, Recipient Number, Send time, Transfer time, Status, Mail Server, Return code, Node, Job name and Job Count.

Transmitted messages

Indicates the number of messages that were transmitted using this type of communication technology during the last measurement period.

Number

For each message that was transmitted, the detailed diagnosis of this measure lists the Client, External Transmission, Recipient Year, Recipient Number, Send time, Transfer time, Status, Mail Server, Return code, Node, Job name and Job Count.

Total message rate

Indicates the rate at which messages were sent using this type of communication technology.

Requests/sec

 

Initializing message rate

Indicates the rate at which messages were initialized for sending using this type of communication technology during the last measurement period.

Requests/sec

 

Warning message rate

Indicates the rate at which messages were sent with warnings using this type of communication technology during the last measurement period.

Requests/sec

 

Error message rate

Indicates the rate at which messages could not be sent due to errors through this type of communication technology during the last measurement period.

Requests/sec

 

Informational message rate

Indicates the rate at which informational messages were sent using this type of communication technology during the last measurement period.

Requests/sec

 

Transmitted message rate

Indicates the rate at which messages were transmitted using this type of communication technology during the last measurement period.

Requests/sec