Start/notes.ini Parameters/SmtpSaveOutboundToFile

SmtpSaveOutboundToFile

Profile

Parameter
SmtpSaveOutboundToFile
Category
Logging / Debug
Component
Server (router/SMTP task)
Available since
Domino 5.0.11 (continuously through 14.5.1)
Supported versions
9.0.1, 10.0, 11.0, 12.0, 14.0, 14.5, 14.5.1
GUI equivalent
none — notes.ini only
Possible values
0 = default (no trapping), 1 = every outbound SMTP mail is saved as a temporary file in the data directory

Description

With SmtpSaveOutboundToFile=1, Domino enables an outbound trap mode. Every mail sent by the router/SMTP task to an external server is additionally saved as a temporary file in the Domino data directory before delivery. The file contains the complete MIME body: all headers (Received, From, To, Subject, X-MIMETrack, ...), the encoded body, and all attachments.
What for: HCL Support uses the trapped files to
  • analyze MIME conversion errors for mails from Notes to the Internet,
  • reconstruct encoding issues (Base64, quoted-printable),
  • demonstrate header anomalies (From spoofing, missing domain),
  • check attachment manipulation by mail rules / filters.
Complementary to the SMTP debug parameters: SMTPClientDebug, SMTPDebug, and SMTPDebugIO (all documented in HCL KB0032184) log the SMTP protocol (connect, EHLO, MAIL FROM, RCPT TO, DATA, ...). SmtpSaveOutboundToFile complements this by capturing the content of the mail — including the steps before the actual SMTP send (MIME generation).

Example configuration

Default (no trapping):
SmtpSaveOutboundToFile=0
Diagnostic mode:
SmtpSaveOutboundToFile=1
Runtime variant (without server restart):
set config SmtpSaveOutboundToFile=1
Combined with protocol debug for full SMTP analysis:
SmtpSaveOutboundToFile=1
SMTPClientDebug=1
SMTPDebug=2
debug_outfile=C:\Domino\IBM_TECHNICAL_SUPPORT\smtpdebug.txt

Notes & pitfalls

  • Disk-space growth: With this parameter active, the data directory grows by the MIME size of each outgoing mail. On servers with high outbound volume, this can occupy several GB within hours. Never enable permanently — only for the duration of a diagnostic.
  • Privacy/compliance: The trapped files contain complete mail content including potentially personally identifiable data. Involve a data protection officer before activation; pseudonymize or use test mails before passing to HCL Support.
  • Cleanup: Domino does not automatically delete the temporary files. After completing the diagnostic, set SmtpSaveOutboundToFile=0 and manually remove the .tmp files from the data directory.
  • Not with ID-file encryption: Mails sent with Notes encryption remain encrypted in the trap file — the content can then only be read with the recipient's ID file.
  • No inbound counterpart: There is no analogous SmtpSaveInboundToFile switch for incoming mail. Inbound trapping only works by setting a mail rule that copies mails to a special database.
  • Activation: Takes effect after server restart or dynamically via set config (no router restart needed).

Sources