Connections

Up to now, you have seen a few different types of input parameters that the various modules may use. One type of parameter some modules can take is a Connection. These are usually a group of multiple settings which defines how a module might need to communicate with some other device or service. For example, one of the first types of connections we want to look at is the definition for how you can setup the connection that defines how modules can send email messages using an SMTP Connection.

What makes connections so useful is that they are generally used across multiple modules and are securely contained and managed in one place. What make this more important in terms of security is that connections are not stored in JobServer in plain text format. They are encrypted so that only authorized users of JobServer and the job definitions which use them have any access to this more sensitive information. Then if the credentials for a connection change, you can quickly update them in an easy centralized fashion.

To edit your connections, click the Connections button on the right side of the main toolbar in the application manager and it will open the Connections window. Initially the connections window will not list any entries, so you will want to add your first entry by clicking on the New button at the top of the window. This will open the Connection Item Editor and will allow you to create a new connection entry. Start by configuring an email (SMTP) connection that is appropriate for sending email from your network.

Start off by selecting the SMTP option from the Type option list. Give it an appropriate name such as GeneralSMTP and then you can optionally fill in a description for this connection. Finally, you should notice that the Value field has been pre-populated with a text template of values which is valid for the selected connection type. Fill in the values for this SMTP Connection using the following description as a guide.

The settings for the SMTP Connection are described in the following table. These values should be changed to a valid email server for your network.