Beyond web logs

Outgoing email settings configuration in SharePoint 2007 allows SharePoint's SMTP service to send email alerts and notifications to site administrators. Also, SharePoint users can receive email alerts from the system when they elect to be notified if there is a change in their SharePoint content. An example is a user named Farah receiving an email alert when one of her documents is approved or rejected in the workflow process

Outgoing Email Configuration Settings Steps:
1. If you aren't there already, click the Operations tab on the Central Administration website.
2. Under Topology and Services, click the Outgoing Email Settings link.
3. On the Outgoing Email Settings page under Outbound SMTP Server, type the hostname for
the SMTP server managing outbound mail, such as mail.beyondweblogs.com, in the text field.
4. Under From Address, type the email address you want to appear to email recipients.
5. Under Reply-to Address, type the email address to which you want email recipients
to reply.
6. Under the Character Set menu, select the character set appropriate for your language
(accept the default setting for English).
7. Click OK.

To configure Incoming emails for SharePoint. first you need to install SMTP and POP3 services on your server. You can add those using Control Panel -> Add/Remove -> Windows Components feature.

Once done, SharePoint will be able to accept and archive emails and email discussions, save email messages, and display emailed meetings on SharePoint site calendars. If you enable SharePoint Directory Management Service, SharePoint will be able to provide email distribution list creation and management services.

Incoming Email Configuration Settings Steps:
1. On the Central Administration site, click the Operations tab.
2. Under Topology and Services, click the Incoming Email Settings link.
3. Under Enable Sites on This Server to Receive Email, click Yes.
4. Under Settings, click Automatic to accept the default settings. (If you click Advanced, you have to specify an external mail server to provide SMTP services for SharePoint.)
5. Under Use the SharePoint Directory Management Service to Create Distribution Groups and Contacts, click No.
6. Under Email Server Display Address, the hostname for your server should already be populating the available text field. If not, type in the hostname for your server.
7. Click Accept Mail from All Email Servers. (If you click Accept Mail from These Safe Email Servers, you would have to add the IP addresses, one per line, of each email server from which to accept mail.)
8. Click OK. You are taken back to the Operations tab in Central Administration.

If you had clicked Yes in step 5 to use Directory Management Service, you would have been required to specify an Active Directory container where distribution groups and contact objects would be created in SharePoint. After clicking Yes, you would have gone through the following steps:

1. In the Directory Management Service URL box, type the URL of the SharePoint Directory Management Service.
2. In the E-mail Server Display address box, type the email server name, such as mail.sharepoint.wiredwriter.net.
3. Click either Yes or No next to Does the Directory Management Service Manage Distribution Lists?
4. Click either Yes or No next to Should Distribution Lists Accept Mail Only from Authenticated Senders?
5. In the Incoming Email Server Display Address section, type a display name for the email server, such as mail.beyondweblogs.com, in the Email Server Display address box.