SMTP Relay Configuration
Important
Information and features vary according to the roles to which you belong and the permissions associated with those roles. For more information, contact your module manager or your campus support team.
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) are the rules for sending email messages from one server to another until they reach the recipient's inbox. SMTP Relay carries these emails and lets recipients trust they are coming from a reputable source. Jenzabar originally allowed schools to use ASPEmail and Client Application Services (CAS) to relay emails; however, to support upcoming Exchange Online (Microsoft 365) security enhancements, Jenzabar added new relay options with the J1 2024.3 re-release. Desktop and J1 Web schools using Exchange Online to send emails will be required to update their configuration by March 1, 2026 to avoid disruptions.
The following SMTP Relay Configuration options are available to determine how J1 Web sends email messages from the system:
SMTP Relay Server via CAS
This option uses CAS, a Windows service installed during J1 setup, to relay emails. This is the original method provided, but will be disabled in Spring 2026. Schools using Exchange Online (Microsoft 365) must move to the Microsoft 365 option and schools using CAS with a relay server other than Microsoft 365 must move to the new SMTP Relay Server via J1 Web option. This includes Desktop clients.
SMTP Relay Server via J1 Web (recommended)
This option routes emails through J1 Web using a scheduled job to connect more directly to the SMTP server. Schools relaying emails through servers other than Microsoft 365 should select this option including those only using Desktop.
Microsoft 365
This option routes emails through Exchange Online (Microsoft 365) using Microsoft Graph protocols. Schools using Exchange Online (Microsoft 365) must migrate to this option by March 1, 2026. Once selected, clients must configure the Exchange Online options if they have not already done so for calendar sync and select the new Exchange Email Relay setting on the Exchange Online Account Settings page.
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) are the rules for sending email messages from one server to another until they reach the recipient's inbox. SMTP Relay carries these emails and lets recipients trust they are coming from a reputable source
Note
Before these settings can be established, the Client Application Services (CAS) must be installed on any workstations or servers that will be used to run scheduled processes and/or relay email messages. The CAS is not included with the J1 Wed or Desktop installers. It must be downloaded and installed separately. For installers and detailed installation steps, see the Downloads section of MyJenzabar.net. Once installed, "Jenzabar J1 Client Application Services" will be listed with your other Windows services.
CAS is a Windows service that runs in the background of a user's machine or a dedicated server with two primary responsibilities:
Running scheduled J1 processes automatically on the days and times you specify
Relaying email messages
The CAS has five main steps for managing scheduled processes and emails.
The Client Application Services calls the stored procedure named PROCESS_SCHEDULE$CHECK_STATUS every minute.
The PROCESS_SCHEDULE$CHECK_STATUS stored procedure checks the PROCESS_SCHEDULE table for jobs to be run.
If the stored procedure finds any processes that need to be run by the service text from the COMMAND_LINE column of the PROCESS_SCHEDULE table is returned to the CAS. The stored procedure also calculates and sets the next run date of the process and creates a row in the PROCESS_HIST table with a status of I (In Progress).
If the stored procedure finds that a process was missed or needs to be skipped, it creates a row in the PROCESS_HIST table with a status of M (Missed) or S (Skipped). Information about missed or skipped processes is also returned to the CAS.
The CAS executes the command line text returned from the stored procedure. The command line tells Windows to launch a J1 Web/Desktop process (like Financial Aid Manager) and run the process. If the stored procedure returns information about a skipped or missed process, the Service writes notification information (if any) to various notification-related tables in J1.
The process launched by CAS runs and writes status information to the J1 Web/Desktop application log.
If the job normally creates reports during processing, a snapshot of the reports is saved to the J1 database. The process updates the PROCESS_HIST table with a status of C (Completed) if it completed successfully or a status of E (Error) if it encountered any errors. The process also writes notification information (if any) to various notification-related tables in J1.
If a machine is configured to send emails, the CAS checks the various notification-related tables in J1 Desktop for messages that need to be sent. If there are any emails that need to be sent, the Service relays the message to the server defined in the SMTP Server Name column on the J1 Web Communications page (System Administration hub, System Settings, Communications) or the Desktop SMTP Relay Configuration window.
SMTP via J1 Web | SMTP via CAS | Microsoft 365 | |
Description |
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|
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Recommended For | Direct connection to an existing server. | Unattended sending from a Windows environment. | Office 365 environments. |
Supports Batch Sending |  | | |
Control the Number of Messages and Relay Interval | | | |
Secure Sending with SSL | | | Handled by Graph API |
Default Reply Email Address | | | Uses Exchange account settings |
Number of email messages | How many messages the relay will send in each batch. The interval determines how frequently the batches are sent. These settings help prevent outgoing emails from being identified as spam and reduce the risk of overwhelming the server. |
Relay interval | How often the relay sends batches of messages. |
Relay email messages securely by using SSL? | When selected, messages are encrypted in transit. Jenzabar strongly recommends using this option. |
SMTP Server Name* | Mail server address (e.g., smtp.yourdomain.com). |
SMTP Server Port* | SMTP traffic port (e.g., 465 or 587 for secure connections). |
Default Reply To/From Address | Email address recipients see when replying. |
Include user credentials when relaying email messages?* | When selected, messages are sent using specific login credentials for authentication. This option is required if your SMTP server is cloud-based or hosted outside of your network (e.g., gmail or live.edu). |
Exchange Online Account Settings | Link to page where you enter your Exchange tenant ID, client ID, client secret, and enable email relay. |
*SMTP Relay Server via J1 Web and SMTP Relay Server Via CAS options
**Microsoft 365 option
SMTP configurations can also be managed using the Desktop's SMTP Relay Configuration window. Changes made in J1 Web are not saved in the Desktop, and vice versa.
To manage SMTP relay configurations, you must belong to a role with Can view & edit communication settings permission enabled. Jenzabar provides this permission with the Core, System Administration role.