Alerts and Notifications

A server that can report its own problems is a massive advantage in any IT environment. Instead of discovering an issue only after a service has failed, the BMC can proactively send you an alert the moment a hardware fault is detected.

This chapter shows you how to set up email alerts via SMTP and how to define which specific hardware events should trigger those alerts.

Setting up SMTP for email alerts

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is the standard method for sending emails. By configuring the BMC to use your organization's mail server, you can have it send detailed alert messages directly to your inbox or a team distribution list. The BMC supports both a primary and a secondary (backup) SMTP server for redundancy.

1. In the sidebar menu, navigate to Settings > SMTP Settings.

2. Enable the Primary Configuration toggle.

3. Fill in the server details:

   • Server Address: The IP address or hostname of your mail server.

   • Port: The port your mail server uses (e.g., 25 for standard SMTP, 465 for SMTPS, or 587 for submission).

   • Sender Email Address: The "From" address that alerts will be sent from.(e.g., [email protected]).

   • Recipient Email Address: The destination inbox. You can add up to four recipients.

     
4. If your mail server requires a login, enable Authentication and enter the Username and Password.

5. If your server uses encryption, enable TLS Enable and upload the required certificate files (Cacert.pem, Server.crt, Server.key).

   
6. Click Save settings.

[Image, EXISTING, Source: 7.9: Screenshot of the SMTP Settings page showing primary and secondary configuration options.]

Pro Tip: Use a dedicated service account

For security and manageability, it's a best practice to create a dedicated service account (e.g., [email protected]) for the BMC to use. Avoid using personal email accounts for authentication, as this can create a security risk if the person leaves the organization.

After saving, click the Send Test Alert button to verify that the configuration is working correctly.

Configuring platform event filters

Once SMTP is set up, you need to tell the BMC which events are important enough to trigger an email alert. This is done using Platform Event Filters.

1. In the sidebar menu, navigate to Platform Event Filter.

2. You will see a list of hardware-level event triggers.

3. Enable the toggles for the events you want to be notified about.

[Image, EXISTING, Source: 8.1: Screenshot of the Event Filter page showing toggles for Temperature, Processor, Voltage, and Watchdog events.]

Available filters typically include:

• Temperature Sensor Out of Range: Get an alert if the server is overheating. (Highly Recommended)

• Voltage Sensor Out of Range: Be notified of potential power supply or motherboard issues. (Highly Recommended)

• Processor Presence: Detects if a CPU has failed or is missing.

• Watchdog Timer: Triggers an alert if the operating system freezes and fails to reset the watchdog timer. This is a strong indicator of a system hang.

Click Save settings to apply your choices.