Set up email and SMTP notifications

Use your own SMTP server for cPFence v4+ on Enhance alerts, or keep the server’s local mail delivery. You need View System Settings and Manage Notification Settings; terminal setup needs root on the intended server.

1. Configure SMTP in the WebUI

1. Open System Settings, choose one Server scope, and select Notification Settings.
2. Enter Notification email and select the events you want to receive.
3. Under Delivery connections, choose cPFence SMTP → Set new configuration.
4. Enter SMTP host, Port, SMTP username, SMTP password, and From email. The form starts with 587; use the port and sender authorized by your provider.
5. Select Save changes and read the result. Configuration sends a test email; check the inbox and spam folder, and verify the sender.

Enter provider-authorized connection details privately. This blank setup form has not been saved or tested. Select the image to enlarge it; use your browser's Back command to return.

Check receipt

A successful send request does not establish inbox delivery. Confirm that the test reaches the intended recipient before relying on alerts.

Notification email and event switches. Secrets and identifying details are hidden. Select the image to enlarge it. Use your browser’s Back command to return.

For several servers, stage the SMTP fields and use Apply to servers…. Review destinations and Changed fields, then check each result. Selecting All Servers in the sidebar alone does not copy SMTP settings.

Keep delivery secrets private

Do not copy passwords into tickets, screenshots, or command arguments. Use the setup form or private terminal prompts. Preserve unrelated mail configuration.

2. Use terminal setup or send a test

On the intended server, start interactive notification SMTP setup:

cpfence --enable-cpfence-smtp

Confirm the recipient and enter the provider’s host, port, credentials, and sender. Enter the port explicitly; a blank terminal port defaults to 25. Setup sends a test message.

To test delivery and change the notification recipient, replace this example address with yours:

cpfence --set-email [email protected]

This saves the address after a successful send. Saving the WebUI recipient alone does not send a test.

For a manual test without changing the recipient setting, replace the address below and run:

mailx -v -s 'SMTP Test Email from cPFence' '[email protected]' <<< 'This is a test email to confirm the SMTP configuration for cPFence notifications.'

This sends a real message using the configured mail sender. Check the result and receipt separately.

To return to local mail delivery, choose Disable cPFence SMTP and save, or run cpfence --disable-cpfence-smtp and confirm. Keep current configuration preserves the saved sender.

3. Choose notification SMTP or global SMTP

Choice	Effect
cPFence SMTP	Configures the cPFence sender in /etc/s-nail.rc. Website and mailbox mail are not redirected.
Global SMTP	Configures a server-wide Postfix relay and the cPFence sender. Website and mailbox mail can use the relay too.

Global SMTP changes outgoing mail

Use global SMTP only when Enhance’s Smart Host settings do not meet your needs. Review the existing relay with the mail administrator: accepting setup activates/restarts Postfix and changes its relay behavior. Do not remove another administrator’s configuration to make setup succeed.

On that server, run:

cpfence --enable-global-smtp

Enter the private SMTP details, specifying the port. Read the Postfix and existing-relay confirmations. Declining Postfix setup configures only the notification sender. Accepting setup sends a test; verify both notifications and normal outgoing mail.

Setup owns its marked blocks and /etc/postfix/cpfcli_sasl_passwd files, preserving unrelated text. cpfence --disable-global-smtp removes the owned relay and notification sender after confirmation, then applies the Postfix change. Disabling cPFence SMTP in the WebUI leaves a global relay in place.

Troubleshoot missing email

1. Check the recipient, event switch, and owning module’s state.
2. Review the setup error and provider’s host, port, authentication, and sender requirements.
3. Check spam filtering and provider delivery logs. For local mail, inspect existing mail logs, such as /var/log/mail.log, or the Postfix journal.
4. Ask the mail administrator to check routing, DNS, and SPF/DKIM/DMARC if messages are rejected or marked as spam.

Use Slack notifications if you prefer alerts in a channel. Review notification event settings separately.