Using Mailstorm

The Mailstorm tool supports many command-line options that enable you to run the Mailstorm program automatically. Following are the command-line options you can use when running Mailstorm.

To run the Mailstorm tool

At the command prompt, type Mailstrm<option>.

Press Enter.

The following table lists the command-line options available in Mailstorm, and their descriptions:

Option	Description

*-u<ProfileName***>	Profile name for logon.
*-p<Password***>	Password.
*-f<ConfigurationFile***>	Path to configuration file. Must contain extension.
-a	Auto run and exit when done. Mutually exclusive with -v.
-v	Auto compare and exit when done. Mutually exclusive with -a.
-lLogFile	Path and file name to log file.
-mPathToMessages	Path to messages to change test case data about message location.
-tTimeout	Time to wait for messages in Inbox, for verification.
-nTestCaseNumber	Test case number for printing to log.
-?	Usage Help.

Overview of the Mailstorm User Interface

Menus

The menu bar includes the following menus:

File Menu — The File menu includes the following familiar commands: New, Open, Save, Save As, and Exit.
You can also choose from the following commands on the File menu:

Command	Description

Logon	Prompts you for a profile name and then opens a MAPI session according to the profile you selected. It is recommended that you log on before setting any options, because certain options, such as specifying an Address List, require a valid MAPI session to function.
Logoff	Select to log off the current MAPI session.
Compose Note	Calls the MAPI provider to bring up a compose note window. This enables you to create new message (.msg) files.

Options Menu — The Options menu enables you to set options for configuring Mailstorm, comparing messages, and logging. For more information on these options, see "Setting Message Configuration Options," "Setting Compare Message Options," and "Setting Logging Options" later in this section.
View Menu — The View menu provides three ways to work in the main Mailstorm Viewer. Use the Toolbar and Status Bar commands to display or hide the toolbar or status bar, respectively. Choose the Clear Log command to clear the log display in the lower section of the Mailstorm Viewer.
Help Menu — The Help menu has only one command: About. Choose this command to view information about Mailstorm.

Toolbar

The Mailstorm toolbar provides easy access to most menu functions. The toolbar buttons, from left to right, are: File/New, File/Open, File/Save, File/Compose Note, File/Logon, File/Logoff, Options/Configuration, Options/Compare Messages, Options/Logging, View/Clear Log, and Help/About.

Mailstorm Viewer

The Mailstorm Viewer includes a status pane, a row of buttons on the right, and a logging pane at the bottom. The status pane displays information about the current send or verification run. It also displays information about the previous send or verification run, regardless of whether a run is in progress. The buttons on the right provide control for the run. The Start button enables Mailstorm to start sending mail.

The Compare button starts a compare of mail in the Inbox. The Compare utility will recognize a message in the Inbox with a subject tagged with a file name identifier. Mailstorm will show the difference between the message in the Inbox and that identified by the subject. The Pause and Stop buttons pause or stop the current action.

Setting Message Configuration Options

To set message configuration options

Choose Configuration from the Options menu or click the Configuration button.

Set options. The following options are available:

Option	Description

Files	Selects the message files you want to send.
Duration	Specifies the length of time Mailstorm sends messages.
Delays	Specifies the delays that Mailstorm uses when sending mail.
Recipients	Selects message recipients or chooses not to modify the recipient list.
Subject	Modifies the subject header of a message.
Message Properties	Sets the properties for each message that Mailstorm sends.
Settings	Sets general options for comparing messages.

Selecting Message Files to Send

To select message files to send

Select the Files tab.

Select the directory where the message files are currently stored by choosing Set Path. Note that you must choose Set Path to specify the path; you cannot edit the path by typing a path name in the Directory box.

After you confirm the directory path, all message files with the .msg extension that are available in that directory will appear in the list on the left. The list of files on the right is the current group of files to send.

To modify this group by adding or removing messages from the list on the left, choose Add, Add all, Remove, or Remove all.

Specifying Time Length for Sending Mail

To specify the time length before Mailstorm sends mail

Select the Duration tab.

Specify the duration. The duration can be specified as units of time, quantity of mail sent, or time length equals forever.

Specifying Amounts of Time Mailstorm Uses to Send Mail

To specify the amount of time Mailstorm waits between sending individual messages or group messages

Select the Delays tab.

Specify the delay values.

The first delay value indicates the amount of time that Mailstorm waits after sending one message and before sending the next message in the group. (A group is the list of message files specified in the Files tab).
The second delay value indicates the amount of time that Mailstorm waits after sending one group of messages and before sending the next group.

Selecting Message Recipients

To select message recipients

Select the Recipients tab.

Choose To, and then select the recipients you want from the list. Note that you must be logged on before you can select recipients.

Set options. The following options are available:

Option	Description

Use these recipients instead of .MSG recipients	Select this option to instruct Mailstorm to use the recipients just selected. .
Don't change .MSG recipients	Select this option if you do not want Mailstorm to modify the recipients on the message files. This means that Mailstorm ignores the recipient list displayed in the Recipients tab. You should also select the Resolve Name during submit option (described below) because the address list on the message files may be dated. If you do not select the Resolve Name during submit option, an error may occur on submit.
Append these recipients to .MSG recipients	Select this option to instruct Mailstorm to append selected recipients to those already existing on the message..
Resolve Name during submit	Select this option if you want Mailstorm to resolve the recipient list on each message before sending it. As mentioned earlier, it is recommended that you select this option if you are using recipients already on a message file, because the recipient list may be no longer valid or it may not have been previously resolved.

Note At least one recipient must be specified for each message (either added by Mailstorm or previously present in the message file), or an error will occur when Mailstorm attempts to send the message.

Modifying the Subject Header of a Message

To modify the subject header of a message

Select the Subject tab.

Set options. The following options are available:

Option	Description

Use this subject instead of .MSG subject	Select this option and type a new subject in the Subject box to replace the subject currently displayed in the message.
Append numeric identifier to all subjects	Select this option to add a unique identifier to the subject of each message. This enables messages to be differentiated from each other in the same run and in different runs.

Setting Properties for Messages Mailstorm Sends

A selection of message properties can be set prior to Mailstorm submitting the message. These properties can also be set by using the Microsoft Exchange Client. The Mail system should handle the option correctly.

You can set the following options for messages that Mailstorm sends: Message delay in sending, Message expiration, Copy to Sent Items folder, Importance, Sensitivity, Attachment type, Read receipt request, and Proof of delivery request. The Attachment Type option enables selection between different SMTP types of attachment forms.

To set properties for messages that Mailstorm sends

Select the Message Properties tab, and then set options.

Setting Compare Message Options

To set options for comparing messages

Choose Compare Messages from the Options menu or choose the Compare Messages button.

Set the options described below.

Settings

To set general options for comparing messages

Select the Settings tab.

Set options. The following options are available:

Option	Description

Modify Message Subjects during submit with "file name identifier"	Select this option to tag submitted messages with an identifier. Only received messages that have this identifier can be compared. When this option is selected, Mailstorm adds the path of the original message file to each message submitted. Mailstorm parses this path (called the subject file name identifier) to compare and locate the source message file.
Compare against	Select an option under Compare Against to specify the source path of the original messages. Select the File identified on the subject (original) option to use the full path from the subject file name identifier to find the source file. Select the Using specified path + file name (pre-verified "Master") option to override the path from the subject file name identifier and specify a different path. This option is useful when the file you want to compare is not the same as the file sent.

Exclude Properties

This feature is useful because some properties (such as submission time) differ between the tagged message in your Inbox and the message file you are comparing it against.

To select the MAPI properties that are excluded from the Compare against option

Select the Exclude Properties tab.

There are four exclude lists. The drop-down list box displays the list that is currently being modified. The list on the left displays standard MAPI properties. The list on the right displays the currently selected properties.

To modify the list of currently selected properties, select the properties that you want to add or remove, and then choose Add, Remove, or Remove all.
To specify a property that is not a standard MAPI property, type the 8-digit hexadecimal value of the property tag, and then choose Add Custom. The property tag will appear in the list on the right.

Exclude Ranges

This feature is useful when you're comparing fax attachments because it enables the date stamping to be excluded while the actual content is compared. The range is specified as a zero, based on low and high bounds of exclusion. Currently, the only property that can have a range excluded is PR_ATTACH_DATA_BIN.

To specify ranges to exclude when comparing particular properties

Select the Exclude Ranges tab.

Setting Logging Options

To set logging options

Choose Logging from the Options menu or choose the Logging button.

Logging

To set logging levels

Select the Logging tab.

Set the level of logging detail you want at the interface level and at the file level. The level of detail can be set to: None, Minimum, Medium, and Maximum.

The interface level determines what level of logging detail appears in the Mailstorm Viewer logging pane.
The file level determines what level of logging detail is written to a file. To log to a file, select the Log to file option. To specify the file to use for logging, choose File.

Property Logging

To log the message properties of all messages in the Inbox of the currently logged-on user or the currently selected group

Select the Property Logging tab.
To view the logged properties, you must set the logging level to Medium or Maximum for the interface or the file, or both.