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Siebel Business Process Framework: Workflow Guide > Administering, Testing, and Migrating Workflow Policies > Administering Workflow Policies >

Administering Email Manager and Page Manager

This topic describes how to administer email manager and page manager. It includes the following topics:

Guidelines for Configuring the Email Manager Server Component

Some workflow policy actions allow you to send an email to an individual. If you configure the Email Manager server component, then it is recommended that you use the following guidelines:

  • If you configure a workflow policy to send email through a mail system that is compliant with SMTP or POP3, then make sure that the SMTP or POP3 protocol is working properly on the network.
  • Make sure Email Manager is running. This server component is part of the Communications Management component group, which must be configured.
  • Make sure the profiles in the Communications Manager are configured to log in to a mail system that is compliant with SMTP or POP3. Email Manager uses these profiles. The Communications Outbound Manager verifies the profile.
  • Make sure the Mail Profile parameter is set to the name of the communication profile that Siebel CRM uses to send the email.
Date Format in an Email Message

The Siebel Server runs a workflow policy program. This server connects to Oracle through ODBC. As part of this process, Siebel CRM gets the required data from the Siebel database through this connection. The ODBC driver sets the date format in the email message that it returns, which might be different from the format that Oracle uses.

Setting Up the Communications Profile to Send Email Through a Workflow Process

This topic describes how to set up the communications profile to send email through a workflow process.

To set up the communications profile to send email through a workflow process

  1. Configure CompGrp CommMgmt.

    To send email through Siebel Workflow, you must define a communications profile. To create a new communications profile, you must configure CompGrp CommMgmt. For more information, see Siebel CTI Administration Guide.

  2. In the Siebel client, navigate to the Administration-Communications screen, and then the Communications Drivers and Profiles view.
  3. In the Communications Drivers list, query the Name field for the following communications driver:

    Internet SMTP/POP3 Server

  4. Click the Profiles view tab.
  5. Create a new profile named profile_name.
  6. In the Profile Parameters Overrides list, define parameters using values from the following table.
    Parameter
    Description

    From Address

    Define the email address of the sender for outbound communications.

    POP3 Account Name

    Define the account name for the POP3 mailbox from which to get inbound communications.

    POP3 Account Password

    Define the password for the POP3 mailbox account.

    POP3 Server

    Define the host name or IP address of the computer where the Internet POP3 server runs, as appropriate for your network configuration.

    SMTP Server

    Define the host name or IP address of the computer where the Internet SMTP server runs, as appropriate for your network configuration.

    For details on these parameters, see Siebel CTI Administration Guide. After you define the communications profile, you must start the Email Manager server component. For more information, see Starting the Email Manager Server Component.

Starting the Email Manager Server Component

The Email Manager server component runs email actions if a workflow policy condition is met. You can start it from the command line or from the Server Configuration view in the Siebel client.

To start Email Manager from the command line

  • To start the Email Manager server task with the profile_name profile, enter the following command in the Server Manager command line:

    start task for comp MailMgr with MailProfile=<Profile Name>

To start Email Manager from the server configuration view

  1. In the Siebel client, navigate to the Administration-Server Configuration screen, Servers, and then the Components view.
  2. In the Components list, locate the Email Manager server component.
  3. In the Component Parameters list, set the Mail Profile field to Test.
  4. Set the Default Tasks parameter to 1.

    If the server component restarts, or if the Siebel Server services restart, then this step configures Siebel CRM to begin a server task for Email Manager.

How Outbound Communications Manager Sends Email

The Outbound Communications Manager uses the following sequence to send email messages:

  1. If the workflow policy is met, then Workflow Monitor Agent inserts a record in the S_APSRVR_REQ table for workflow actions that call the Send Email workflow policy programs.
  2. Email Manager picks up records from the S_APSRVR_REQ table, setting the status for each record from QUEUED to ACTIVE, and then to SUCCEEDED while the manager runs.
  3. Siebel CRM calls the Outbound Communications Manager to log onto the profile_name profile.
  4. To send emails to recipients, the Outbound Communications Manager uses the Send Message method of the Outbound Communications Manager business service.
Mail Profile Parameter

The Mail Profile parameter specifies the mail profile to use. You can set it in the Microsoft Windows Control Panel. It establishes the connection between Siebel CRM and the email system. If you do not define a profile, then Siebel CRM uses the default profile. The names must match exactly.

Starting the Page Manager Server Component

Some workflow policy actions allow you to send a page to an individual. To send a page, the Page Manager server component of the Siebel Server must be running. You can configure Siebel CRM to page an individual who uses an alphanumeric or numeric pager. To use Page Manager, the following items must be met:

  • The Siebel Server that runs Page Manager can access a local or network modem.
  • Page Manager is running. You must set several parameters for Page Manager that allow Siebel CRM to start Page Manager.
  • The Employee view includes the appropriate telephone numbers for paging. Siebel Workflow uses these numbers.
  • The regional configuration does not prefix the country code to the telephone number. Prefixing the country code can cause an error.
  • The PAGE_TYPE list of values parameters forces the page manager to accept an alphanumeric send, which displays the language and the value.

Alphanumeric paging is more reliable than numeric paging because a computer that resides at the company that provides pager services transmits the pager message. This situation is not true for numeric paging, where emulating key presses on a telephone sends the pager message. It can be difficult to detect a failure in sending a numeric page.

Page Manager uses the Telocator Alphanumeric Protocol (TAP) protocol for alphanumeric paging. To determine the phone number in which to send your alphanumeric page, consult with the company that provides your pager services.

The Server Administration screen lists the parameters that affect how Page Manager interacts with the modem. The default values that this screen lists are the default values for a Hayes compatible modem. You must make sure these values are compatible with the modem that your environment uses.

To start the Page Manager server component

  1. In the Siebel client, navigate to the Administration-Server Management screen, and then the Jobs view.
  2. In the Jobs list, click New.
  3. In the Component/Job field, choose Page Manager.
  4. In the Job Parameters list, click New.
  5. Click Parameters in the Server Tasks list, and then enter the appropriate parameters.

    For a list of parameters, see Table 66.

Parameters of the Page Manager Server Component

The most important parameters are Modem Port, Dial Prefix, Long Distance Prefix, and Local Area Code. You can change the values for these parameters to match the values that your environment requires.

Table 66 describes parameters of the Page Manager server component.

Table 66. Parameters of the Page Manager Server Component
Parameter
Description
Usage

Modem Port

The Component Object Model (COM) port where the modem is attached.

The default value is COM1.

Valid values are COM1, COM2, and so on.

Dial Prefix

A number or sequence of numbers that Siebel CRM dials to get an outside line.

The default value is 9.

If you do not use a dial-out prefix, then insert a comma (",").

If dialing 9 for an outside line is not required, and if you use srvrmgr.exe from the command line, then defining a comma for this parameter returns an error. If you include a hyphen or another character that Siebel CRM cannot use, then it does not return an error.

The following example includes a dial prefix:

SRVRMGR.EXE /g NT01022 /e SBLPRD_ENT502 /s SBLPRD_APP502 /u ***** /p ***** /c "START TASK FOR COMPONENT PageMgr WITH DialPrefix = '-'"

Long Distance Prefix

The long-distance prefix.

The default value is 1.

Siebel CRM prefixes this value to the front of a long-distance phone number. If your location does not require a long-distance prefix, then set this parameter to equal an empty string.

Local Area Code

The area code of your location.

The default value is empty.

If the beginning digits of a phone number are equal to this code, then Siebel CRM removes them before it dials the phone number and does not add the long-distance prefix.

Delay1

The number of seconds to wait between dialing a phone number and simulating key presses for the first set of numbers.

The default value is 12.

Applies only to numeric paging. Siebel CRM ignores this parameter for alphanumeric paging.

Delay2

The number of seconds to wait between simulating key presses for the first and second set of numbers.

The default value is 4.

Applies only to numeric paging. Siebel CRM ignores this parameter in the following situations:

  • Alphanumeric paging
  • If the numeric pager does not include a Personal Identification Number (PIN)

Modem Reset String

The modem command that Siebel CRM uses to reset the modem.

The default value is ATZ.

To determine the correct command, see your modem documentation.

Modem Init String

The modem command that Siebel CRM uses to initialize the modem.

The default value is AT&FQ0V1.

To determine the correct command, see your modem documentation. For example, some modems require a numeric value after &F.

Modem Dial String

The modem command that Siebel CRM uses to dial the modem.

The default value is ATDT.

These parameters are rarely changed.

Modem Hangup String

The modem command that Siebel CRM uses to hang up the modem.

The default value is ATH.

Modem Restore String

The modem command that Siebel CRM uses to restore the power-up settings of the modem.

The default value is AT&F.

Troubleshooting Email Manager and Page Manager

When troubleshooting Email Manager and Page Manager, note the following:

  • If Email Manager cannot log on to the mail server that is compliant with SMTP or POP3, then it stops processing and logs an error message in the trace files.
  • If Email Manager can log on but encounters a problem sending an email, then it logs an error message and continues to the next request.
  • If the modem is not available, then Page Manager stops processing and Siebel CRM accumulates requests in the Requests table. After you fix the processing problems, you must restart the Siebel Server. The Siebel Server continues to process messages from the point where it was interrupted.
  • If Page Manager can interface with the modem but encounters a problem with a page send, then it logs an error and continues to the next request.
  • If a workflow policy runs email and paging actions, then it inserts email requests and paging requests in the Siebel database. It inserts these requests as records in the S_APSRVR_REQ table, which the Email Manager and Page Manager then process.

    A new request includes a QUEUED status. When the Email Manager or Page Manager begins to process a request it sets the status to ACTIVE. When it finishes processing the request it sets the status to one of the following values:

    • SUCCEEDED if it processes the request successfully
    • FAILED if an error occurs
  • To send emails, Siebel Server uses the UNIX Mail command.
Making Sure the Siebel Server Can Send an Email to a Valid Recipient

This topic describes how to make sure the Siebel Server can send an email to a valid recipient.

To make sure the Siebel Server can send an email to a valid recipient

  1. From the UNIX command prompt, enter the following command:

    >mail recipient_email_address

    where:

    • recipient_email_address is a valid email address
  2. Enter a message that ends with a period on the last line.

    For example:

    This period indicates the end of the message.

  3. Press enter.
  4. If Siebel CRM writes an email to the S_APSRVR_REQ table but does not send it, and if the Email Manager trace file includes a SUCCEEDED status for this email, then make sure the following Outlook options are set on the email server:
    • Send messages immediately
    • Check for new messages every x minutes

      To make sure Siebel CRM sends an email successfully, you must configure each of these options in Outlook.

    
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