The Default Settings section shows the current settings for connecting with the Internet.
The Routing list box specifies the manner in which SLmail will try and route a message to its recipient.
The Check First Record option means that SLmail will attempt to connect to the highest priority MX record. If it fails to connect to this server it will not try any other records but will instead keep attempting to connect to the first record until it either succeeds or eventually bounces.
The Check All Records option means that SLmail will try all of the MX records, going to highest to lowest priority, until it is finally able to connect to a server.
The Send to Smarthost option means that SLmail will not attempt to lookup an MX record for a domain, but will instead send all outgoing mail to the Smarthost specified in the System page of the Web-based administration. This option is not available if Disable Smarthost is checked in the Options page of the SLmail Web-based administration.
The Recipients per Message list box sets the maximum number of recipients per single message. For example, you may have addressed a message to ten different recipients. If you have set the maximum recipients per single message to five, SLmail will automatically break your message into two separate messages, each addressed to five of your intended recipients. Since a higher number of recipients-per-message require more resources, this option is useful in controlling maximum resource allocation. Unless the resources exist, this value should be set no higher than 10. The number of possible recipients that may be set for this option range anywhere from 1 recipient all the way to a maximum of 250 recipients per single message.
The Address Records list box allows you to set how many separate addresses (MX records) will be stored in system memory at any one time.
Unlimited (expire naturally) means that SLmail will keep MX records in cache based on the TTL (Time to Live) specified in the DNS record.
50 records in memory , 100 records in memory , 200 records in memory , or 400 records in memory actually limit the number of records SLmail will keep in cache to the number specified.
Unlimited (expire naturally) is the recommended setting for Address Records.
The Outgoing Connections list box controls the maximum number of simultaneous outbound connections (or threads) to the Internet SLmail may have. For example, a large mailing list takes less time to send using a higher number of simultaneous connections.
Note: More system resources are required for higher numbers of simultaneous connections. If enough system resources do not exist to support a higher number of connections, system performance may decline rather than improve.
This option may be set between 1 and 50 connections. The default setting for this option is 5 connections.
You may fine-tune the performance of your SLmail server by adjusting Recipients Per Message and Outgoing Connections settings. Given the memory configuration of your system, and assuming that SLmail is the only application (aside from system services or very small utilities) you are running on the machine, the following table may be used as a guideline for appropriate values:
If it appears that mailing lists are not being sent properly or that excessive disk activity occurs, lower each setting by one until symptoms disappear.
Note: The above values are a guideline only based on general system performance. Your system may not be able to handle the number of connections specified. The more system resources that are being taken by other software and services, the lower you will need to set these values.
The advanced section has three check boxes where you can disable default routing options.
Disable Retry: This setting will keep SLmail from attempting to resend a message if it failed to send the first time. Instead of the message going into the retry queue, SLmail will instead bounce the message back to the sender.
Disable Bounce: This setting will keep SLmail from bouncing expired messages back to the sender. The failed message is instead deleted.
Disable Warning: In a normal retry cycle, SLmail will send a warning message to the original sender that it has failed to send the message and will retry for a specific amount of time. With this setting checked, SLmail will not send the warning message.
This setting specifies how long SLmail will attempt to send a message before it is, by default, bounced back to the sender. This value can be set from 2 to 7 days.
Retry Time specifies the Retry Level Start value. When SLmail attempts and fails to connect to an external domain, it will continue to try sending that message until it eventually fails. By default, SLmail will retry this message at different intervals, trying every 3 minutes at the beginning and working it's way down to every 2 hours as it continues to fail.
The default, and recommended, value for Retry Time is 3 minutes.
This setting means that SLmail will not move through the normal retry cycle, but will instead keep retrying at the level specified in the Retry Time option until the message is either sent or expires.
Under most circumstances, do not check Constant Retry Time as it could cause performance problems with SLmail.
Note: Do not check Constant Retry Time if you have Retry Time set to 3 minutes. This can cause severe slowdowns in performance on your SLmail server and could keep you outbound mail from being able to be processed at all.