Advance Mass Sender v4.3 (AMS v4.3)
Product Features
Powerful built-in SMTP server. Allows your computer to become an email server capable of sending your message to hundreds of subscribers per minute.Support for mailing through many remote SMTP servers simultaneously.
Built-In utility to validate email addresses.
Complete support of SOCKS (4/4a/5) proxy servers.
Built-in HTML editor with complete support of tables, pictures and hyperlinks.
Complete support of various character sets.
Support for messages in Plain Text and HTML formats, as well is multi-part messages.
Support for all methods of sending - To/CC/BCC/Direct Delivery/Personal Copy.
Ability to separate address lists into recipient groups.
Support for Dial-Up connections. Automatic establishment and restoration of a dial-up connection.
MailList Validator checks for inactive accounts without actually sending emails.
Processing of mailing lists including:
o Import subscriber email addresses manually or from files.
o Import email addresses from Windows Address Books (WAB).
o Compare and sort email lists. Email Extractor You can get them here: http://emailchecker.info/email-extractor.php
o Remove addresses based on an email list or mask. Can be file based.
o Search email addresses with the ability to save the results to a file.
o Remove duplicates.
o Sort email lists alphabetically.
o Sort email lists according to the domain.
o Import from Microsoft Excel 97-2000, Microsoft Access 97-2000, D-Base 3-5, and Paradox 3-7.
Ability to maintain many Sender Accounts (one for each department, mailing list, etc.)
Ability to include attachments with your message (presentations, documents, etc.)
Database repair utility
Mail Merge ability in Personal Copy mode, which allows for personalizing each sent message.
History of sent messages
Introduction
FIGURE 1 – AMS MAIN SCREEN
Advanced Mass Sender is a powerful tool for delivering your message to your subscribers and associates. It allows you to maintain numerous mailing lists and sender accounts. It’s simple interface makes it easy to send your marketing, support and informational message to a great number of people.
Program interface is easy to use. All the settings are visually grouped. This software allows two methods of sending:
- Via built-in SMTP server. In this mode your computer turns into a powerful email server, that would deliver your message straight to the recipients’ mailboxes on their servers.
- Via multiple remote SMTP servers. This option is good when you already have an SMTP server or want redundant connectivity.
AMS also includes full proxy server support, ideal for secure corporate network setups and small office networks. Included is support for Dial-Up (modem) connections. AMS software will even restore the connection in case of disconnection from your Internet Server Provider and continue the assigned task.
SMTP (Mail server) settings
Remote SMTP server mode.
In Remote SMTP server mode, AMS uses external SMTP servers for sending email. You can switch to this mode by clicking on SMTP Server(s) tab on the main screen (See Figure 1). Here you will be able to add remote SMTP servers that will be used during the email campaign.
Add – Add SMTP server entry to the list.
Remove – Remove SMTP server entry from the list.
Modify – Modify the selected SMTP server entry.
Clear All – Removes all SMTP servers from the list.
When you click on “Add” or “Modify” buttons you will be presented with the following dialogue box.
Server Name – Enter the host name or IP address of the server.
Port – Specify the port number on which the SMTP server accepts connections (25 is default).
UserID (HELO) – HELO string, which identifies the sender to the server
CC/BCC Size - Number of addresses that could be sent in a single message using the CC or BCC sending method.
SMTP authentication – Use this option if your SMTP server requires authentication.
Unlimited Domain SMTP Server and Unlimited IP SMTP Server
Built-In SMTP server mode
In this mode your computer becomes the SMTP server. You can switch to this mode by clicking on the Built-In SMTP Relay Tab on the main screen (See Figure 1). It will deliver the messages directly to the mail servers of recipients. In this mode you cannot use To, CC or BCC sending methods. The only methods that will be available are Personal Copy and Direct Delivery.
DNS Server – IP address of your DNS server. This server will provide the information of mail routes for built-in SMTP server.
Attempts for resolving – The maximum number of attempts that will be made to resolve the domain name portion of the email address (Determines MX record for the domain).
Packet size for domain – The maximum number of messages sent per domain in a single connection. In order to achieve good results keep this setting between 15 and 30. This setting is ignored if you select the Personal Copy sending method.
Number of Threads – The maximum number of threads that the SMTP server that concurrently send messages. Recommended setting is between 25 and 60. Increasing this setting will increase the CPU load on your computer, and may adversely impact the speed of the mailing.
Attempts for sending – Number of attempts to re-send the message in case of a connection error.
Time-Out for sending (ms) – The Maximum timeout value, when AMS stops waiting for a response from the recipient’s mail server. Default value is 1 minute (60000ms). One second equals a thousand milliseconds.
Proxy Manager
Since the version 4.0b in AMS the opportunity to dispatch through some Socks proxy servers in parallel has appeared. It is made for overcoming anti-spam protection of some post servers which can refuse to accept a lot of email if it is incoming from the same domain (IP addresses). At use several proxy, each letter (or BCC the package) will be sent through chosen proxy server. Such approach increases probability that all letters will be successfully sent.When using several proxy, it is necessary to have in view of the following: if, for example, the list contains 10 proxy servers, and 1 from them does not work - about 10% of the letters it sends will not be sent. For minimization of this negative effect it is recommended to increase value of the field "Attempts for sending" since at each attempt to send the program choose a new letter proxy from the list.I.e. if in the first attempt the program tried to send the letter through dead proxy on 2 or 3 attempts, it is a high probability, the dispatch will go through, with a working proxy.
Also, it is strongly recommended to check proxy on service ability before each dispatch.
At the same time, it is not necessary for you to use many proxy servers for dispatch. For successful distortion present IP address it is enough to add in the list even of one proxy.
Use Socks proxy server - To use connection through proxy servers.
Add - To add proxy in the list (see. Window Add/Modify Proxy server).
Edit - To edit the chosen proxy.
Delete - To remove chosen proxy.
Load -To load the list proxy.
Save - To keep the list proxy.
Check - To check the current list proxy for service ability.
Using proxy connection - Allows you to choose in what cases to use proxy:
Built-In Smtp relay only - Only for built-in Smtp server AMS.
Remote Smtp servers only - Only for remote Smtp servers.
For both - For both types of dispatch.
Setting up Sender accounts
FIGURE 9 – SENDER ACCOUNT SETUP
Account Name – Internal name of the sender account.
Sender Name - Name that will show in “From:” field of sent email messages.
Sender Address – Email address that will show in “From:” field of sent email messages.
Reply-To Address – Email address that will show in “Reply-To:” field of sent email messages.
Add Account – Add a new sender account.
Delete Account – Delete an existing sender account.
Return To Main Window – Return to the main screen.
Working with mailing lists
In order to access your mailing lists, click on “Mailing Lists” button on the main screen (See Figure 1). You will be presented with the “Manage Mail List” window. In this window you must first create a new group of recipients in “Groups” tab. This is achieved by clicking on “Add Group” button. Once your Recipient Group is created you will be able to edit its name by clicking on “Edit Group Name” button, remove all recipients from the group - “Clear Group” and to delete selected group by clicking on “Delete Group”. You also have three standard groups:
Bad Addresses – This group captures email addresses determined bad by the software, which are kept for your review.
Black List – This group contains email addresses that you do not want to send email to. Every mailing will be checked against this group and emails to addresses in this group will not be sent.
Not Sent – This is a special group, where addresses not sent in the last mailing are kept.
FIGURE 10 – GROUPS TAB FIGURE 11 – RECIPIENTS TAB
Once you add your group you can work with “Recipients of selected group” tab (See Figure 11). Here are the functions available to you.
Load Mail List – Load your mailing list from another source (file, windows address book, excel, access, etc).
Save Mail List – Save your mailing list.
Clear List – Clear this list and remove all recipients.
Compare & Add – Compare to a list from another source and add addresses that are missing.
Compare Only - Compare to a list from another source.
Delete, List of Addresses – Delete all addresses in the group that match those from chosen source.
Delete, By Mask – Delete all addresses in the group that match the mask.
Find – Find an address in the list that matches search query sub string.
Find Next – Find next address in the list that matches search query sub string.
Find & Replace – Find an address in the list that matches search query sub string and replace the string.
Find & Save – Find all addresses in the list matching the search query and save results to a file.
Sorting By Domain – Sort all the addresses in the list by domain name.
Manual Add - Add a single email address to the list manually.
Manual Edit - Edit selected email address in the list.
Manual Delete – Delete a single email address from the list manually.
Importing Mail Lists
From File(s) Tab
To load a mail list, click the “Load Mail List” button on the “Manage Mail List, Recipients Of Selected Group Tab” (See Figure 11). In this window, files with E-Mail addresses can be uploaded for sending. In this version the following formats are supported:
FIGURE 12 – LOAD MAIL LIST, FROM FILE(S) TAB
One Address in One Line - One address in one line. Contents of a loaded file should look as follows:
admin@domain.com
admin@ aol.com
administratie@hotmail.com
administrator@ domain.com
admiral@ domain.com
Description <Address>; Contents of a loaded file should look as follows:
Jonathan (Home) <jon@aol.com>; Chris <info@hotmail.com>;
Address, Description (CSV); Contents of a loaded file should look like
jon@aol.com, Jonathan (Home)
info@hotmail.com, Chris
NOTE: Loaded CSV file should contain only one pair of values per line
[the Address, the Description].
Otherwise the file can be loaded not correctly.
Semicolon Separated
Addresses are divided by a symbol ';' Contents of a file should look like:
jon@aol.com;info@hotmail.com
Verify that the correct format of a loaded file is chosen, otherwise your mail list will NOT load. Multiple files can be uploaded at once; however, they must be the same format.
From WAB (Windows Address Book) Tab
FIGURE 13 – LOAD MAIL LIST, WAB TAB
Windows Address Book files have a .wab extension.
The program offers tow methods to load address books:
1. From a default directory used by windows. In this case, AMS uses the system registry to find and load the address book.
2. From a .wab file. In this case it is necessary to choose a file independently.
From Another Group Tab
Use this option to load a mailing list from a previous mail group.
From Excel/Database Tab
AMS supports the following formats:
· Microsoft Excel 97-2000
· Microsoftw Access 97-2000
· D-Base 3-5
· Paradox 3-7
FIGURE 14 – LOAD MAIL LIST, EXCEL/DATABASE TAB
Attention: this function requires Microsoft DAO Jet engine (Installed as part of Microsoft Office97-2000). If you do not have Microsoft Office installed, you can download MS DAO Jet at the following URL:
http://www.microsoft.com/data/download_Jet4SP3.htm
NOTE: Duplicates are automatically removed from uploaded lists. Also, the lists are sorted by alphabetical order.
Setting up message
FIGURE 1 – AMS MAIN SCREEN
From Account – Select the Sender Account from which you will send the message.
To Group – Select the Recipient Group to which you will send the message.
Send Method – This determines the method used to send the message, in Built-In SMTP mode you will be able to use only “Personal Copy” or “Direct Delivery” methods.
To (For BCC) – Main address to which the message is sent when using BCC mode.
Subject – Subject line of the message.
Message Body – This is the message body, you can type your message here, load the message from a file, paste the HTML or plain text from the clipboard or, alternately you can create the message with the HTML Messages editor.
HTML Messages Editor – click this button to launch the HTML editor utility. Once you are finished making your HTML message, it will be loaded in the “Message Body”.
Messages History – Select previous saved messages by the subject and load it.
Clear History – This function will clear Messages History.
Clear Message – This function clears the current message.
Message Type – Select the message type – HTML, plain text, or multi-part.
Message Priority – Select the priority for sent messages.
Charset – Select the character set for the message. This feature is very useful when you are sending a message in another language.
Add Attachments – This function lets you attach files to your message.
Remove Attachments – Remove the selected attachment.
Load Message Body – Load the message from a file.
Save Message Body – Save the message body to a file and save it to the “Messages History”.
Send – Send your message.
Control Speed Of Sending Mail
Generally, speed of mailing is increased proportionally to the number of threads selected. However, this rule of thumb has limits. Use of a large number of threads can decrease the speed and quality of mailing because it can overload the output channel to the Internet.
Remote SMTP Server Mode
Recommended Threads:
· Modem: 7-10 threads
· High Speed - 10 or more threads.
NOTE: It is possible to add different times to the list on the same server. In this case, AMS creates may independent connections to the server based on how many times this server was added in the list.
Built-In SMTP Server Mode
Recommended Threads:
· Modem: 20-30 threads
· High Speed - 50 or more threads.
For Direct Delivery and Personal Copy modes, use the following guidelines to increase speed:
· Make the sized of the message was as small as possible.
· For Direct Delivery, establish Packet size for domain in the range of 20-30 emails.
· If you send HTML messages, do not insert a large image.
· Avoid attachments.
· If 10 or more threads are used, Timeout should be a minimum of 60000(1 minute) and “Attempts for Resolving” and “Attempts for Sending” should not be less than 3. Many recipient mail servers are slow and unresponsive.
Built-In SMTP Vs. Remote SMTP
We’ve provided several facts to help you determine which method will work best for you.
Built-In SMTP Server
Advantages:
· A remote SMTP server is NOT Required
· Messages are delivered directly to the mail server of the recipient. If AMS responds that a message has been sent, the message is delivered to the recipient.
· During the process, dead addresses are captured.
Remote SMTP Server
Advantages:
· High speed of mailing
More guidelines
If you are mailing small (2-7 kb) messages to the average mailing list
(up to 30,000 recipients), it is better to use the built-in SMTP server of AMS.
If you are mailing larger messages (50-70 kb) or there is a large mailing list (more than 50,000 recipients), it is better to mail through a Remote SMTP server.
Personalized Email Campaigns
Personalized mailing (Personal Copy) allows you to insert custom fields in messages that can be used to personalize every email.
At present, AMS has the following custom fields:
%RCPT_NAME% - Recipients Name from the mailing list.
NOTE: The Recipients Name is taken from the Description column of the table of addresses. If in this column reads "John Smith" for a given email address, "Dear %RCPT_NAME%” will be displayed as Dear John Smith in the sent email. However, if the Description column is empty or shows "Unknown", AMS will substitute local part of the email address (portion before ‘@’. ) for %RCPT_NAME%. For example, for the address john@yahoo.cm will display “john” for %RCPT_NAME%.
FIGURE 16 – PERSONAL COPY EXAMPLE
%RCPT_ADDRESS% - Recipients email address from the mailing list.
%SENDER_NAME% - The name of the sender. The “Sender name” field setup under Sender Account is used (See Figure 9).
%SENDER_ADDRESS% - The email address of the sender. The “Sender address” field setup under Sender Account is used (See Figure 9).
%REPLYTO_ADDRESS% - The reply-to email address of the sender. The “Reply-To address” field setup under Sender Account is used (See Figure 9).
%DATE% - The current date (at the moment of sending).
%TIME% - Current time (at the moment of sending).
%SENDER_ORG% - The Organization of the sender. The “Organization” field setup under Sender Account is used (See Figure 9).
These fields can be inserted both into the body and subject of emails. If the initial field does not contain the data, a blank will be substituted. In Personal Copy mode, if recipient name information is available, their name will display instead of the email address in the “To” field. You can use HTML Editor to set up variable
Getting Results
Built-In SMTP Server
FIGURE 18 – Built-In SMTP SERVER STATUS
The SMTP Server Status window contains the following information:
The table contains thread information:
· Recipient domain.
· Name of SMTP server used.
· Current status of thread
Messages To Send – Total number of messages to be sent.
Messages Sent - Number of successfully sent messages.
Not Sent/Errors – Number of messages that were not sent.
Cancel Transfer - Cancel Mailing.
Emails Statistics
Once the mailing is complete, the following window will appear. Use this screen to gather useful statistics about the email campaign.
FIGURE 19 – MAILING STATISTICS
Mailing Started - Time the mailing was started.
Mailing Ended - Time mailing ended.
Threads Used – Number of threads used.
Total Messages - Total number of messages to be sent.
Total Sent - Number of successfully sent messages.
Not Sent - Number of messages that were not sent.
Connection Errors - Number of connection problems, which occurred during the mailing.
Bad Addresses – Number of "dead" email addresses found.
Session Log - Log files containing all activity captured during the mailing. The results for every thread is contained with in this log file.
Bad Addresses – File with the "dead" email addresses captured during the mailing. If a " Bad Addresses " group was used during the mailing, all email address matches will be removed from the current Bad Addresses file.
Not Sent - File with email addresses where the message was not delivered (typically due to connection errors and timeouts). You can Re-Send these messages using the “Attempt to Re-Send unsent messages” button. If a "Not Sent (from last mailing) " group was used during the mailing, all email address matches will be removed from the current Not Sent file.
NOTE: If standard groups " Bad Addresses " and " Not Sent (from last mailing) " are switched off, NotSent.txt and BadAddresses.txt will be rewritten if a campaign is stopped and then restarted. If you plan to continue the mailing later, copy NotSent.txt and BadAddresses.txt from installdirectory\AMS\SessionLogs into a different location.
Attempt to Re-Send unsent Messages - Attempt to resend messages to email addresses that were marked as “Not Sent”.
Remove bad addresses from Mail List – Remove the “dead” email addresses from the current mailing list.
Print Statistic – See Figure 20 below.
Return To Main Window - Return to the main screen (See Figure 1).
Printable Statistic
FIGURE 20 – PRINT STATISTICS
Frequently Asked Questions
Database Questions
Will AMS read my Excel files?
Yes. But since it is not a database program, some of the files may upload incorrectly.
Will AMS read my ACT database?
ACT! is a PIM (personal information manager), not a database, and it uses a non-standard internal format that is unreadable by Microsoft database import filters. AMS only reads databases, not personal information managers.
I'm using a text database but it is not working.
Make certain that your database format is correct. An example: "email","first_name","lastname" "you@someplace.com","Tom","Tomslastname', will not upload properly since it contains more than the allowed two fields.
What is the difference between the From Address and the Return-Path Address?
The From Address is the address that will appear in the email. The Return-Path Address is the email address the receiving server will attempt to contact if there is a server error in the email. In many cases, this will be the same as the From Address, but it doesn't have to be.
EMail Questions
Can AMS handle direct delivery?
Yes. AMS contains a Built-in SMTP server and can send messages directly to the recipient’s mail box.
I do not know the name of the SMTP server I need to connect to.
Contact your network administrator.
I can send mail to other accounts on my LAN but not outside, what's wrong?
The SMTP server you are connecting to is not allowing you to relay email through it. Your network administrator should enable relaying for the machine that is running AMS. For more information go to Microsoft Support.
Where can I get SMTP software?
You do not need anything additional. AMS has a built-in SMTP server.
What machine should I install the SMTP software on?
SMTP software can run on any machine. A machine with a faster CPU and more memory will experience better performance. A "Server" machine usually refers to a machine with dual power supplies, dual processors, large amount of memory and backup systems that will keep the machine running in the event of hardware failure. Depending on your needs you can put SMTP software on a machine as described above or on a standard desktop or workstation.
I keep losing connection to the SMTP server.
Contact your SMTP server administrator to see if there are any restrictions on the number of emails you can send through it.
What Smtp is the best for the server?
The best Smtp server is the smtp of the provider. Since it is the closest – the speed of dispatch will be at maximum. If for any reasons you can not use Smtp of the provider - try to find it a free-of-charge Smtp server on the internet which is not have strong restrictions for the size and speed of the dispatch.
How many threads should be used to achieve the maximum speed of dispatch?
For dispatch through built-in Smtp: 20-30 if the size of the letter is not big (5-20 êb), or 10-15 if the volume of the letter is more than 30-40 êb. For dispatch through remote Smtp: - there are more than 7-15 threads on one server - if put in more the server can to be overloaded. If dispatch is done through 2-3 different Smtp servers - with 5-7 threads on each server.
How many addresses can be loaded into each group?
Since version 3.61 processing and storage of lists of dispatch are transferred to databases. At the present moment it is possible to load up to 500,000 addresses into each group without notable losses of memory.
What Allows AMS to hide IP the sender?
Since version 3.4 AMS supports Socks proxy. Use of anonymous proxy a server allows hiding of the real IP.
Message Questions
How does AMS software determine whether the recipient views the message in plain text or html?
AMS does not determine the format that the recipient views. The format viewed by the recipient is determined by their client email software. If the client software can read html, the message will be received in html format. If the receiving client software can view only text, then the recipient will see the text version of the message. It is recommended that you draft and send your messages in a multi-part format.
Does AMS software support multipart MIME?
Yes. This is a standard feature in the software.
Will AMS catch all undeliverable?
AMS will catch most, but not all, undeliverable messages. Some mail servers do not verify user accounts during the SMTP session. AMS can only catch undeliverable messages that cause a rejection during the SMTP handshake. Fortunately, most mail servers will reject emails for which there are no user accounts, and AMS will catch all of those.
Does AMS handle non-deliverable emails?
Yes, You can save bad-format emails or non-deliverable emails to a text file.
How do I send an attachment?
Enter the file path and name of your attachment in the box provided.
I want to send more than one attachment.
You can send as many attachments as you need.
Is there a more efficient way to send documents to recipients rather than attaching them?
Yes, there are several ways to improve performance when your recipients need to view more than one document. Within your message create a link to the documents located on your web server.
My HTML does not show images.
Your images must reside on a webserver and the html code you created must point to that image. Example: “<img src =
http://www.yourdomain.com/images/yourimage.jpg>” or if you are uploading the html from a computer you need to change the name of the image from "img src=.." to "img src="cid:some_content_id_file_name"".
How do I merge my database into my emails?
For MailMerge, in the normal editor, select a field from a right click menu. In the HTML Editor, select it from a MailMerge menu.
Performance Questions
I was expecting more performance from AMS software. How can I optimize?
1. Reduce the size of the message.
2. Reduce or Increase the threads used, depending on the load of the connection and CPU utilization.
3. Regularly remove invalid addresses from the list.
4. Use a higher speed connection.
5. Minimize the usage of proxy.
When dispatching through built - in Smtp speed at 5-10 time is lower, than at dispatch through remote Smtp.
At dispatch through "usual" Smtp server, if one sent letter is on it already, on fast fiber-optical channels, will deliver to each client a copy of the letter. When dispatch is done through built - in Smtp a server - AMS *itself* delivers to each client the letter. Therefore productivity of the built - in Smtp rests against the speed of your modem, or, at presence of the allocated line, in its throughput.
Marketing/Miscellaneous
Does AMS have a command line?
No.
Does AMS have a list server?
No.
Do you have a reseller channel or an affiliate program?
Yes. Go to http://www.kbbsoftware.com
Is your software a bulk-mailing application?
Absolutely not. AMS specializes in enterprise-level customer communications. Our customers use AMS only with their existing in-house customer or prospect lists. The AMS software feature set is only useful to end-users who have detailed information about their customers or prospects (names, dates, numbers, etc.). Although AMS can handle large volumes of email, its primary focus is to send targeted emails to recipients who requested the information.
How can I make my email’s more effective?
The best characteristic of an effective message is to make sure its read, rather than deleted. Personalizing your emails by using first names, personal information, and "friendly" messages rather than a sales and business tone are excellent ways to effectively send your email.
Purchase Questions
I've tried to make a purchase and the transaction won't go through.
1. Does the name on the card exactly match what you've input?
2. Does the address for the card exactly match the address where billing statements are sent?
3. Have you made a selection for a state? If you are an international customer please select Non-US Location.
Can I purchase AMS with a PO or check?
Yes, we will accept checks and PO’s for volume orders. Upon receipt of your payment you will be emailed with the appropriate information to activate your AMS software. If you need an invoice for your PO process, send a request to info@downloademail.net with the version you want to purchase and how you would like the invoice forwarded.
When will I get the serial number for my AMS license?
Immediately upon completing your online credit card purchase you will receive confirmation of your purchase and your serial number.
I've purchased the software, where is the CD box and documentation?
AMS software is downloaded from the Internet. A demo version can be downloaded from http://www.kbbsoftware.com. Once you purchase the software, you will be given a serial number. Simply input that code into the registration box of your demo version and the software is activated. All documentation is provided in Help, which is accessed by pressing F1.
