By default, SmarterMail installs a basic web server that allows administrators to start using the application immediately after installation. However, SmarterTools recommends moving to a more robust and secure Web server, such as Microsoft IIS.

Applies to SmarterMail 8 - 11.x
This article covers the following:

  • Disabling the SmarterMail Web server
  • Adding IIS ISAPI components
  • Adding a new application pool for SmarterMail
  • Adding SmarterMail to IIS 8
  • Verifying IIS Settings
  • Updating DNS
  • Testing the site

Disabling the SmarterMail Web Server

These steps will stop and disable the default web server that is included with SmarterMail. This will also have the side-effect of disabling any shortcut for SmarterMail that may be placed on your desktop until you update it with the new URL for the SmarterMail site created in IIS.

  • Click on Start -> Programs -> SmarterTools -> SmarterMail -> Configure SmarterMail Web Server
  • Click on the Stop button
  • Change the Startup Mode to Disabled
  • Click on the Apply button
  • Click the Close button
  • Add IIS ISAPI Components

Follow these sets to add the necessary IIS components

  1. Open up IIS
  2. When prompted Launch Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager
  3. Click on Products tab
  4. Click on Servers
  5. Install required components of: IIS: ASP.NET, .NET Extensibility, ASP, CGI, ISAPI Extensions, ISAPI Filters
  6. Install any other options components
  7. Click Install

 

Add an Application Pool
Follow these steps to add an application pool specifically for SmarterMail:

  • Open Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager
  • Right click on Application Pools from the tree view and choose Add Application Pool
  • Name the new application pool SmarterMail, or something similarly easy to identify
  • Set the .Net Framework Version to v4.0.x
  • Set the Application Pools Managed Pipeline to 'Integrated'
  • Make sure "Start application pool immediately" is checked
  • Click OK

Add SmarterMail to IIS 8
Follow these steps to add SmarterMail to IIS 8:

  • Open Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager
  • Click on your ServerName, and on the right side, under IIS, double-click ISAPI and CGI Restrictions
  • Verify that ASP.NET v4.0 is allowed (If not, right click on ASP.NET v4.0.x and select Allowed)
  • On the left side of the page, right click on Sites in the tree view and choose Add Website
  • Name the site SmarterMail
  • If you created an Application Pool name other than SmarterMail, click Select and choose the correct Application Pool
  • For the physical path, browse to the SmarterMail -> MRS folder. The default location is C:\Program Files (x86)\SmarterTools\SmarterMail\MRS
  • For Binding, choose an IP address to use for Webmail. If this IP address is shared with another Web site, you will need to use a different port or Host Headers. For more information about using Host headers, refer to the IIS documentation
  • Make sure "Start Web site immediately" is checked
  • Click OK

Verify IIS Settings
Follow these steps to verify the IIS settings. Please read each item carefully.

  1. In IIS Manager, click on your ServerName
  2. Under IIS, double click ISAPI and CGI Restrictions
  3. Verify that ASP .NET v4.0 is allowed. If it is not, right-click on ASP .NET v4.0 and select Allowed
  4. In the tree view, click Sites
  5. Expand (or double click) the SmarterMail site
  6. Click on the App_Themes folder
  7. Under IIS, double click HTTP Response Headers
  8. Under the Action menus, click Set Common Headers
  9. Enable the Expire Web content setting
  10. Click OK
  11. Click on Application Pools in the tree view
  12. Right click on the SmarterMail application pool and select Advanced Settings
  13. Under the Process Model heading, ensure the the Identity is set to the NetworkService account
  14. From the Start menu, open Administrative Tools and select Services, then verify that the World Wide Publishing Service is running