SMTP Mail Server

Owned by Former user (Deleted)
17 May, 2021
2 min read

ResPax has an email server which comes with a host of features like open-tracking, click-tracking and visibility into the delivery rate/spam rate of emails sent from ResPax e.g. Passenger Confirmation, Operator Notification, Scheduled Reports, and Bulk Communications, etc. The main advantage is reduced delivery into spam folders, and you'll have the ability to know if your emails are actually being read and actioned. This is due to the server's security and authenticity features being aligned with international standards.

 

If any of your emails are being marked as spam at the moment, then all that's required is to implement SMTP server on your ResPax system. This will involve some edits to the information publicly available on the internet about your email setup, which may be a task for your web host or web developer to action for you. Note that this change only affects emails being sent from the ResPax and ResWeb2 applications - it doesn't affect your other email services such as Outlook, Webmail, GMail, etc.


The changes involve modification and addition of DNS records in your domain names, namely modifying the SPF TXT records, adding a CNAME record and adding a DKIM TXT record. The changes are considered low-risk to your existing services (as we're only adding new information, not taking anything away), and are fairly simple to implement for someone with moderate experience.

Step-by-step guide

  1. Edit SPF TXT record - The following piece of code needs to be included in the existing SPF TXT record (or a new SPF TXT record created if there isn't one):

    include:respax.com

    For example:

    v=spf1 a mx include:respax.com ~all

    It's important that each domain only has one SPF TXT record, so you'll need to combine them if you have multiple. Make sure the "~all" part is always last. It's highly recommended to use an SPF validator before submitting edits (such as http://mxtoolbox.com/SuperTool.aspx?action=spf%3ahothambus.com.au&run=toolpage).

  2. Create new CNAME record - This will allow tracking of opens and clicks in emails, to get stats on how many emails are actually being opened and actioned by recipients. This piece of code needs to be added as a new CNAME record:
    Host/Name: email

    Value: email.respax.com

  3. Create new DKIM TXT record - This piece of code needs to be added as a new TXT record:
    Host/Name: api._domainkey

    Value: k=rsa;t=s;p=MIGfMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBAQUAA4GNADCBiQKBgQCbmGbQMzYeMvxwtNQoXN0waGYaciuKx8mtMh5czguT4EZlJXuCt6V+l56mmt3t68FEX5JJ0q4ijG71BGoFRkl87uJi7LrQt1ZZmZCvrEII0YO4mp8sDLXC8g1aUAoi8TJgxq2MJqCaMyj5kAm3Fdy2tzftPCV/lbdiJqmBnWKjtwIDAQAB

 

The key purpose of these changes is to ensure your emails are not being marked as spam.