Post emails onto SharePoint list

Challenge:

We are using a service called Roam Secure Alert Network to notify subscribers about any news needs immediate attentions. These alerts can be posted through Web, Email and SMS. And the subscriber can receive  alerts with emails, phone text messages.

Recently we need an internal SharePoint web page to be developed to show all these alert messages. Since the Roam Secure system is not part of our system, and did not provide any RSS feeds due to secure concerns. We could not set up any data connection to retrieve these message from their system.

The simple way is to use the Incoming email feature of SharePoint to post these messages in a new list.

Solution:

Here is the simple how-tos.

Step 1), Get the SharePoint server ready to accept incoming emails.

A good start point is the Microsoft TechNet article http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc287879.aspx. For me, since I do not need to create new group or distribution list from SharePoint. I skipped Active Directory configurations and just did the following:

1), Install and configure the SMTP service on the SharePoint application server;

2), Configure incoming email settings on the SharePoint Administrative Center. (Operations –>On the Operations page, in the Topology and Services section –> click Incoming e-mail settings –> in the Enable Incoming E-Mail section, click Yes.)

Step 2), Configure the internal DNS to route the incoming emails.

To allow emails to reach the SharePoint server, we have to add a MX record of the SharePoint server in our internal DNS entries. Assume the subdomain name of our SharePoint server is sharepoint.mycompany.com.

1. In DNS Manager, select the forward lookup zone for the domain that contains the subdomain for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.

2. Right-click the zone and then click New Mail Exchanger.

3. In the Host or domain text box, type the host or subdomain name  sharepoint.mycompany.com) for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.

4. In the Fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of mail server text box, type the fully qualified domain name for the server that is running Windows SharePoint Services 3.0. This is typically in the format sharepoint.mycompanycom.

5. Click OK.

Step 3), Configuring incoming e-mail on SharePoint sites

To allow SharePoint sites to post incoming emails, you can refer to MS Office Online  http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepointserver/HA100823071033.aspx?pid=CH101237651033

For me, I use SharePoint list to display alert messages. So I do the following:

1. Create a custom list on the SharePoint site.
2. Open the list above, Click Settings, and then click List Settings.
   Under Communications, click Incoming e-mail settings.
3. In the E-Mail section, choose Yes to enable this list to receive e-mail, and then type the alias that you want to use to send e-mail to this list. In my example, I typed alerts@sharepoint.mycompany.com.
4. Finish other settings per the instruction aside.
5. Click OK to save your settings.

Now, you can test to send an email from your inside network, and if you can see that email published on the list above, then you are successful for now.

Step 4), Configure Exchange to accept external incoming emails to the SharePoint list.

The last question is how people outside of company network send emails to the SharePoint list. Since the alias above (for example, alerts@sharepoint.mycompany.com) is not a public email address. Usually the email address for the public communication is *@mycompany.com without the subdomain.

Here is what I do.

1. Create a Contact in the Exchange with the alias alerts@sharepoint.mycompany.com.
2. Create a distribution group named alerts@mycompany.com.
3. Add the alerts@sharepoint.mycompany.com as a member of this new distribution list of alerts@mycompany.com.
4. Make sure the distribution list has a owner, and configure any spam filter system to make sure emails can be delivered to the distribution list.

In this way, we can use the new distribution list (alerts@mycompany.com) in the Roam Secure subscription list. And any emails sent to the distribution list will be forwarded to the SharePoint incoming email alias with subdomain (alerts@sharepoint.mycompany.com). Therefore these emails will be published to the SharePoint list automatically.

Tags: Incoming emails, SharePoint

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