Email Server
Get clear answers to the most common email server questions in ServiceOps, so you can diagnose and fix incoming and outgoing email failures without delay.
Common questions about incoming and outgoing email servers in ServiceOps, for IT Admins and Support Engineers.
Incoming Email Server
Questions about why the incoming email server stops fetching emails or fails to create tickets. To check fetch logs, go to Admin > Organization > Security > Email Audit. To view or edit the incoming server configuration, go to Admin > Support Channels > Emails > Incoming Email Servers.
Why is the incoming email server not fetching any emails?
A: ServiceOps can't reach the mail server due to an incorrect host address, wrong port or security type, or a firewall blocking the connection. Open the affected server and click Test Connection to identify the failure point. Correct the host address, port, and security type for your protocol (IMAP, POP3, or MAPI), then click Test Connection again to confirm the fix.
Why are emails arriving in the mailbox but no tickets are being created?
A: ServiceOps fetched the email — it shows as RECEIVED in Email Audit — but failed to process it into a ticket. In Email Audit, filter by Event = Incoming and read the PROCESSED FAILED audit entry. The table below covers the most common messages:
| Audit Message | Cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Guest User is not allowed to create/update request | Sender is not a registered user and guest ticket creation is disabled | Enable guest ticket creation in Email Preference, or add the sender as a user in ServiceOps |
| Subject matched with other regex prefix | Email subject matched a configured request ID prefix (for example, INC-, REQ-) reserved for reply threading, not for new ticket creation | Review the request ID prefix settings in the incoming server configuration |
| Original sender of email is ignored because marked as ignored | Forwarded email: the original sender's address is in the ignore list | Review the Ignore filter list in incoming server Filter Configuration and remove the address if legitimate |
| Do not create Request — Email To Request is OFF | Email-to-Ticket toggle was off at the time of email arrival | Enable the toggle and confirm it stays enabled |
| Getting error while creating Request / Conversation | Unexpected system error during ticket creation | Check the system logs and Email Audit for more details |
Why are emails being silently ignored with no ticket and no error?
A: ServiceOps deliberately skipped the email based on a filter rule, deduplication check, or system condition, and logged it as RECEIVED_IGNORED. In Email Audit, filter by Status = RECEIVED IGNORED and read the audit message. The table below covers the most common reasons:
| Audit Message | What to Do |
|---|---|
| System acknowledgment mail | Expected behavior. ServiceOps ignores its own internal acknowledgment emails. No action needed. |
| Reference and In-ReplyTo are the same | Self-referencing loop detected, expected deduplication behavior. No action needed. |
| From Email user is Archived/Deleted | Restore or reactivate the sender's user account in User Management. |
| Ticket Creation with CC/BCC is disabled | Enable CC and/or BCC ticket creation in incoming email server settings if CC/BCC senders should raise tickets. |
| This email was processed before | Duplicate email detected: the same Message-ID was already processed. Expected behavior. No action needed. |
| Sender matched spam/ignore filter | The sender address or domain is in the Filter Configuration Ignore list. Review and remove the address if it is a legitimate sender. |
| Reply-To email is marked as Ignored | The Reply-To address is in the ignore list and the Use Reply-To email address preference is on. Review the ignore list. |
Why was the ticket created but the attachments are missing?
A: ServiceOps creates the ticket immediately. Small attachments are processed and attached at the same time, but larger or heavier files are queued and processed separately in the background, so they may appear on the ticket a short time after creation. If background processing fails, Email Audit logs an ATTACHMENT PROCESSED FAILED entry. Ask the requester to re-send the email or upload the files directly on the ticket.
Why are email replies not threading to the existing ticket?
A: ServiceOps matches reply emails to existing tickets using the Message-ID and ticket reference embedded in the original notification email. If the requester composed a new email instead of clicking Reply, ServiceOps has no way to link it and creates a new ticket instead. Confirm that the incoming email address appears in the To, CC, or BCC field of the reply, and that the reply's subject line still contains the ticket reference.
Why are emails from a specific sender or domain not creating tickets?
A: The sender's address or domain appears in the Filter Configuration ignore list on the incoming server. Open the server, scroll to Filter Configuration, and remove the sender's address or domain. If the Filter Type is set to Allow and the sender is not in the allow list, ServiceOps silently ignores their emails. Verify which filter type is active.
Why did the OAuth incoming server suddenly stop fetching emails?
A: The OAuth access token expired or Microsoft revoked it, and ServiceOps can no longer authenticate with the mail server. Open the server, enter the password, and click Update to again save the configuration and to complete the OAuth flow with a Global Administrator account.
After upgrading the ServiceOps version from 8.0 to 8.1, kindly re-configure all the email servers as more parameters are added for configuration.
In ServiceOps version 8.0, the email configuration was based on the Client ID, Client Secret, Tenant ID, and the Authorization URL details. And now in version 8.1 onwards, it is based on the Client ID, Client Secret, Authorization URL, Token URL, Scope, and Redirect URL.
Why was the ticket created with the wrong technician group or no category?
A: ServiceOps applies the Technician Group and Category defaults set on the incoming email server to every ticket from that mailbox. If an Incoming Email Rule matches the email first, the rule's action overrides those defaults. Open the server and confirm the Technician Group and Category fields are set correctly.
Outgoing Email Server
Questions about why outgoing notifications fail or don't reach specific recipients. To check send logs, go to Admin > Organization > Security > Email Audit. To view or edit the outgoing server configuration, go to Admin > Support Channels > Emails > Outgoing Email Servers.
Why are all outgoing emails failing with a connection error?
A: ServiceOps can't reach the SMTP server due to an incorrect host address, wrong port or security type, or a firewall blocking outbound traffic. Open the server, verify the SMTP host and port, and click Test Connection. Use port 587 with STARTTLS for most of the email providers.
Why are outgoing emails failing with an authentication error?
A: ServiceOps reached the SMTP server but the login failed due to incorrect credentials, an expired password, or a missing App Password. Update the credentials in the outgoing server settings — for Gmail and Microsoft 365, use an App Password or OAuth 2.0 instead of the regular account password.
Why did the OAuth outgoing server stop sending emails after working fine?
A: The OAuth access token expired or Microsoft revoked it, and ServiceOps can no longer send emails through the configured server. Open the server, enter the password, and click Update to again save the configuration and complete the authorization flow with admin credentials.
Why is a specific recipient not receiving notifications, with no audit entry at all?
A: ServiceOps filtered the recipient's address before the send attempt and logged it as SEND IGNORED, not SEND FAILED — so no SENT or SEND FAILED entry appears. In Email Audit, filter by Status = SEND IGNORED, find the recipient's address, and remove it from the outgoing server's spam/ignore filter.
Why did the recipient receive the email but the attachments were missing?
A: ServiceOps dropped the attachment because it exceeded the maximum allowed size (default: 20 MB), and the SENT audit message identifies the excluded file. Share the attachment through an alternative channel, or increase the outgoing attachment size limit in the outgoing server settings.
Why does the outgoing server fail with 'configuration is not proper or recipients list is empty'?
A: This error appears when the outgoing server is disabled or incomplete, the Reply-To address is missing, or the notification template produced an email with no recipients. Open the server, confirm it is enabled and all required fields are filled in, and set a valid Reply-To address.