I operate my observatory remotely with Voyager, using an unreliable mobile data link for control and monitoring.
I use email to notify me of observatory status and any unrecoverable errors encountered by the dragscript.
I have notices that up to 50% of these emails fail to sent on nights where the mobile data link is slow or up and down.
It would be great if Voyager could be integrated with an email client or clients (prefer open source) so the email client took responsibility for sending emails for Voyager. The email client would keep trying to send Voyager emails until they were sent, rather than timing out after a minute or two.
Would other users find this a useful addition to Voyager?
Maybe it would be too much of a pain to setup but you could consider installing a local email relay similar to this one (not used it but seems suitable):
It acts a bit like a SMTP server and forwards the emails to a specific destination. I think it also has a script which allows you to retry emails if they have failed completely.
Voyager use a mail client to send email connecting directly to server of company released the email to user.
Also have a direct email send for who have base license to send email using voyager domain email server.
What doesnt do is to retry to send email if connection to client not go ok, i can add a retry. But when mail is released usually arrive to destination.
Create a SMTP server inside Voyager is a big pain, we have just add a webserver for Voyager Advanced. SMTP for relay is really difficult for a question of security and trusting … probably no mail will be accepted.
We using a MailGun relays that is trusted, so solution can be to repeat connection in case of failure.
Let me know Tom, personally i use NEXMO SMS message with internet or a connected GSM modem to usb and a little script to call for send SMS in DragScript. Someone use the GNS system that work locally from Lunatico.
Tom the “Send Email using Voyager account” block in DragScript doing exactly wht Mike suggest but with a server online because for my experience a local SMTP server need a some kind of operations on DNS records to become trusted in POP server of mail service around the world.
Local you need to test if your email service will accept incoming connection from this local SMTP.
Let we know.
Thank you for the warning. I will need to test this carefully.
I don’t see that your “Send Email using Voyager account” option helps when the underlying data link is unreliable or absent. Voyager would still have to take responsibility of retrying until the message was sent. I don’t think Voyager should be blocked waiting to get a ststus email out.
I can understand what you wrote Tom but responsibility its to much to accomplish to Voyager.
In this case a second way to alert you is a better choice, like local GSM modem. Or you can use a 2 WAN router with 2 different provider in load balancing this avoid if one provider lack to stop sending mail.
You can also already now intercept if send mail go wrong (IF ERROR) and repeat operations how many times you need but this block the system.
Mike solution can be better for you goal, is just to look to dont finish in black list from POP server for lack of trusting.
Yes Leo is correct. Sending emails via applications is more difficult nowadays because of all the spam filtering and blacklisting. I have a very similar issue in my AllSkEye application also sending out error emails etc.
If you want to go down that route then the best way is to have your own domain registered which you can use for your outgoing emails (instead of using your Gmail, hotmail, etc. accounts). Once you have registered your own domain then you can use a free smtp service like Mailjet to send your emails. You will need to add certain records to your domain DNS record so that Mailjet can verify that you actually own the domain. Then you are pretty much good to go. But maybe that’s far too much hassle for what you are trying to achieve…
