Using Gmail as a JIRA Mail Server

This page describes how to use Gmail for both SMTP and POP3 mail.

Configuring GMail for Outgoing Mail (SMTP)

Follow the instructions from Configuring JIRA to Send SMTP Mail:

1. Download OpenSSL:
   Linux: http://www.openssl.org/
   Windows: http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net/packages/openssl.htm
2. Import the SSL certificate from Gmail:
   For Windows: double-click the openssl file from the directory that gets installed. Run

    s_client -connect smtp.gmail.com:465
   

   For Linux: run:

    openssl s_client -connect smtp.gmail.com:465
   

3. From the output, you want only the alphanumeric string between the lines which say 'BEGIN CERTIFICATE' and 'END CERTIFICATE' (inclusive). Copy the results into a file called gmail.cert using your favorite text editor.           
   
4. Exit the openssl prompt, and return to your Java installation's bin directory. Import the cert into your keystore:

   "A keystore is created whenever you use a -genkey, -import, or -identitydb command to add data to a keystore that doesn't yet exist. More specifically, if you specify, in the -keystore option, a keystore that doesn't yet exist, that keystore will be created. If you don't specify a -keystore option, the default keystore is a file named .keystore in your home directory. If that file does not yet exist, it will be created."
   From Sun´s Documentation on Keytool

   For Windows:

   keytool -import -alias smtp.gmail.com -keystore $JAVA_HOME/jre/lib/security/cacerts -file C:\path\to\gmail.cert
   

   Fore Linux:

   sudo keytool -import -alias smtp.gmail.com -keystore $JAVA_HOME/jre/lib/security/cacerts -file /path/to/gmail.cert
   

   The default keystore password is 'changeit'.

5. Move ( not copy! ) the activation and mail jar files from the /WEB-INF/lib folder to the /common/lib (Tomcat 5.5) or /lib (Tomcat 6) folder. For example:

   mv <JIRA-INSTALL>/WEB-INF/lib/activation-1.1.1.jar lib/; mv <JIRA-INSTALL>/WEB-INF/lib/mail-1.4.1.jar lib/

6. Add Gmail as a JNDI Resource in /conf/server.xml in-between JIRA's <Context>...</Context> ( after line 49 ). Change your username and password:

   <Resource name="mail/GmailSmtpServer"
   auth="Container"
   type="javax.mail.Session"
   mail.smtp.host="smtp.gmail.com"
   mail.smtp.port="465"
   mail.smtp.auth="true"
   mail.smtp.user="myusername@gmail.com"
   password="mypassword"
   mail.smtp.starttls.enable="true"
   mail.smtp.socketFactory.class="javax.net.ssl.SSLSocketFactory"
   />
   

7. Restart JIRA so that the above changes are picked up by JIRA. Then, configure the SMTP server in JIRA's interface, use the JNDI setting. The proper value (if using the default example), is:

   java:comp/env/mail/GmailSmtpServer
   
   

Configuring GMail for Incoming Mail (POP)

To use Gmail, for example, as a create and comment mail handler:

1. If you did not import the SSL certificate from Gmail for the SMTP server, refer to the instructions above.
2. Enable POP access in GMail's settings
3. Add a POP3 mail account