Start/notes.ini Parameters/SMTPNotesPort

SMTPNotesPort

Profile

Parameter
SMTPNotesPort
Category
Mail / Router
Component
Server
Available since
Domino 6.0
GUI equivalent
notes.ini only (no direct GUI)
Value range
Name of a Notes NRPC port configured in notes.ini
Default
not set → the first Notes port defined in notes.ini is used

Description

On Domino servers with multiple configured Notes ports (typically on multi-homed hosts with several NICs / IP addresses), the notes.ini lists multiple port names such as TCPIP, TCPIP2, etc. in the Ports= directive. Each of these Notes ports is bound to a specific IP address in the server document or via <PortName>_TcpIpAddress.
By default, the Internet services (SMTP, POP3, IMAP, LDAP) use the first Notes port listed. With SMTPNotesPort=<PortName>, the inbound SMTP listener is explicitly bound to a specific Notes port and thus to a specific IP address / NIC.
Analogous variables from the same family:
  • POP3NotesPort — POP3 service
  • IMAPNotesPort — IMAP service
  • LDAPNotesPort — LDAP service
  • HTTPNotesPort — HTTP service
Together they make it possible to bind each Internet service to its own NIC / IP address — typical use cases are partitioned servers, dedicated mail NICs, or separation of internally and externally reachable addresses.

Example configuration

; Multi-port server with two NICs:
Ports=TCPIP,TCPIP2
TCPIP_TcpIpAddress=0,10.0.0.10:1352
TCPIP2_TcpIpAddress=0,10.0.0.20:1352

; Bind SMTP listener explicitly to TCPIP2 (10.0.0.20)
SMTPNotesPort=TCPIP2
; Place all mail protocols together on the mail port,
; LDAP on the other port:
SMTPNotesPort=MailNet
POP3NotesPort=MailNet
IMAPNotesPort=MailNet
LDAPNotesPort=TCPIP
Changes require a restart of the SMTP task (tell smtp quit / load smtp) or a Domino restart so that the listener binds to the new IP.

Notes & pitfalls

  • Port name must exist: The specified port name must be entered in the Ports= directive and configured in the server document or via notes.ini IP binding (<PortName>_TcpIpAddress=…). A typo or reference to a non-existent port either causes the SMTP listener to fail or silently fall back to the default.
  • Order in Ports=: Without SMTPNotesPort, the order in Ports= matters — this is often overlooked when a second NRPC port is added later and a different IP is suddenly used for SMTP.
  • Consistency with the server document configuration: Inbound SMTP port status (Enabled/SSL) is maintained in the server document under Ports → Internet Ports → Mail. SMTPNotesPort only specifies the binding to the NIC, not the TCP port (default 25 / 465). The TCP port is controlled via the server document or SMTPListenerPort.
  • Restart required: Unlike many other mail parameters, SMTPNotesPort is not reloaded by tell router update config — the SMTP task must be restarted.
  • IPv6 setups: In IPv6 configurations, separate Notes ports are often defined per stack (IPv4 / IPv6). SMTPNotesPort then points to the IPv6-capable port (see HCL docs Examples of using NOTES.INI variables with IPv6).
  • Note on the documentation: The variable is documented in several HCL knowledge articles as well as in the HCL Notes and Domino Wiki discussion. There is no standalone help page; it is referenced in the IPv6 examples and in the context of multi-port configuration.

Sources (HCL Product Documentation)