K2 SmartActions Pre-Installation

K2 SmartActions allow you to send email notifications to users who have tasks assigned to them (for example, via client events in a process), and allows them to respond via email to action the task. Use this article to learn more about what requirements must be in place before SmartActions can be configured during installation. Some aspects are verified by the installer but others are not and should be taken into consideration when planning for SmartActions.

  • SmartActions require Exchange, either on premises or online.
    When Exchange Online is used for SmartActions, the online email address must be associated with a local Active Directory account or email actions do not fire and the following error is logged: "System.Exception: No destinations could send the message Workflow item received."
    Exchange Online requires OAuth to be configured in the K2 environment. See the Exchange Integration topic for more information.
  • You may encounter a limitation in the number of emails allowed by the Exchange server per minute. Since K2 SmartActions is one of the primary means of user notification (with the potential for multiple e-mails being sent per process instance per default activity), bear this in mind when designing your processes.

The information contained in the following document enables you to configure the Microsoft Exchange server to permit a higher volume of email messages sent by the K2 service account : KB001269 - How to Reconfigure Microsoft Exchange Server Maximum E-mails per minute limitation File

In order to setup SmartActions in your K2 environment, Exchange Web Services (EWS) is required.

Listener Mailbox

By default, SmartActions uses the Exchange mailbox associated with the K2 service account. However, any dedicated account can be used. Dedicating an account ensures that the K2 server only responds to incoming SmartActions emails. Using a non-dedicated mailbox for SmartActions may result in erroneous notifications and responses, and could impact server performance.

During installation, the K2 Setup Manager queries Exchange for the mailbox of the K2 service account, by default, or for the mailbox associated with the specified user. If a mailbox is not found, the entry in the configuration file is left empty. If a mailbox is found, the configuration file is updated but can be changed at a later time without re-running the K2 Setup Manager. For information on how to do this, see the K2 SmartActions Installation topic. 

Messaging Protocols Supported

K2 SmartActions supports the following protocol, which is installed and configured at the time of installation:

  • Exchange Server: Installs automatically as part of the K2 installation and is supported out of the box.

If the mailbox configured for SmartActions becomes full over time, SmartActions fail and an error is logged stating that the mailbox is full. It is important to regularly login to the mailbox as the configured account using OWA and delete or archive SmartAction emails.

For information on SmartActions and other email configuration that takes place after installation of the K2 server, see the following topics: