Error updating SMTP email server host name in Email Configuration page

Products

• CA Spectrum
• DX NetOps

Issue/Introduction

We are trying to update the smtp info from the OneClick Administration > Email Configuration page.

We are getting an error "Invalid Host Name Specified"

SMTP Host name is not updating in the email configuration in OneClick - error "Invalid Host Name Specified"

On the Administration -> Email Configuration page in the Spectrum OneClick admin site updating the SMTP Server Host value returns an error. It returns "Invalid host name specified".

Environment

All supported DX NetOps Spectrum releases

Cause

There are two possible causes.

1. A complete FQDN or FQHN entered in the "SMTP Server Host" field.
2. A host name with unsupported characters is being entered in the "SMTP Server Host" field.

Resolution

There are two solutions to the two possible causes.

1. Enter the short hostname in the "SMTP Server Host" field and the domain in the "SMTP Server Domain" field.
   • The host field is only expecting the short name.
   • Spectrum will combine the host name and domain field values to generate the FQHN (or FQDN).
   • Example where the SMTP server is named "smtpmail.broadcom.com".
     • We'd enter "smtpmail" in the "SMTP Server Host" field.
     • We'd enter broadcom.com in the "SMTP Server Domain" field.
     • The tool would add the '.' period between them to make it "smtpmail.broadcom.com".
     • Correct configuration example:
       
     • Incorrect configuration that would generate the error.
       
2. Host names used must follow the RFC-952 standard which defines hostname character requirements.
   • In this instance the hostname contained an additional '.' (dot or period) character.
     • Example might be "smtp.mail.broadcom.com"
       • Short name: smtp.mail
       • Domain: broadcom.com
   • RFC-952 allows for letters(a-z, A-Z) or digits(0-9), and interior characters can only be letters, digits, and hyphen(-).
   • Entering "smtp.mail" in the "SMTP Server Host" field would generate the "Invalid host name specified" error.
   • This will provide a workaround solution if the hostname can't be changed to meet industry standards defined in RFC-952.
     • Set the values as follows. Shown using "smtp.mail.broadcom.com" as an example.
       • SMTP Server Host: smtp
       • SMTP Server Domain: mail.broadcom.com
     • Saving those values should allow the name with the unsupported character to be used.