Enabling MMS Delivery Notifications

Enabling MMS Delivery Notifications SearchSearch
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Jason Wong
New member
Username: Jasonwcm

Post Number: 7
Registered: 02-2009
Posted on Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 09:54 am:   

Hi,

I am encountering problems getting the Delivery Notifications/Receipts for MMS via MM1.

FYI, I have done the following:-

On NowSMS,

- SMSC -> Properties -> MMS Settings -> Receive to MMS-IN Directory CHECKED

- 2-Way -> Process received MMS Messages CHECKED
(where MMS Directory is D:\Program Files\NowSMS\MMS-IN)

- MMSC -> Retry MMS Delivery Notifications -> Attempts: 3 Delays (minutes) : 5

- MMSC VASP -> Account Name (mx) -> Receive to MMS-IN Directory CHECKED

- MMSC Routing -> Default Route : mx -> Account Name: mx -> Route messages to VASP via MM1 CHECKED

And on my header file, I have included X-Mms-Delivery-Report: Yes

Also, when I send the mms file (via command prompt), I've also include MMSDeliveryReport=Yes in my sendmms.vbs

Did I left out something?? I've also followed on this topic http://support.nowsms.com/discus/messages/485/24622.html and configured as suggested but still didn't received any delivery notifications/receipts.

Btw, which settings takes precedence? Settings in header files or in sendmms.vbs??

Please advise. Looking forward to your reply.

Thanks & Regards,

Jason
Des - NowSMS Support
Board Administrator
Username: Desosms

Post Number: 614
Registered: 08-2008
Posted on Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 06:52 pm:   

Hi Jason,

I'm definitely having problems following your scenario.

You're basically submitting an MMS message into NowSMS ... and it's getting routed by the MMSC back to itself via a loopback connection, so the message gets written to the MMS-IN directory.

Do you see the received message appearing in the MMS-IN directory?

I seem to remember someone else trying something similar in the past, and NowSMS did not generate a delivery receipt when it dumped a message to the MMS-IN directory. And as I check, I see that it was the NowSMS 2006 release where we added support for generating a delivery receipt in that scenario.

My next question would be ... where are you expecting the delivery receipt to be sent to? It would be addressed to the original message sender ... and in your environment, I'm not sure where that would go. There is no way to route a delivery receipt over an MM1 VASP connection.

You might want to try MM7 for the loopback connection instead, because I assume we're going to end up routing that delivery receipt back over the loopback connection.

To be honest, the whole scenario gives me a headache. I hope you have a good practical reason for wanting to do this ...

And regarding which header takes precedence ... I believe the header in the MMS message file would take precedence.

--
Des
NowSMS Support
Jason Wong
New member
Username: Jasonwcm

Post Number: 8
Registered: 02-2009
Posted on Friday, March 20, 2009 - 02:10 am:   

Oops... sorry to get you confused mate. =) What I basically wanted is to get the delivery notifications/receipts into MMS-IN directory.

But nothing appears in there. Ignoring my settings above, what should I do? ^_^
Des - NowSMS Support
Board Administrator
Username: Desosms

Post Number: 621
Registered: 08-2008
Posted on Friday, March 20, 2009 - 05:39 pm:   

Hi Jason,

I honestly don't know.

I know if you setup a GSM/GRPS modem connection for sending MMS messages, and have the receive MMS settings for the modem set to deliver the received MMS messages to the MMS-IN directory ... then you can definitely get delivery notifications (and read receipts) into the MMS-IN directory.

That's more of a "live environment" scenario.

I think the other would work, if the loopback connection for the MMSC is MM7 based, or MM4 based. (EAIF might also work ... I found an undocumented INI setting for routing delivery reports via EAIF that was added for a particular customer. MM1 won't because the delivery notification gets routed via WAP Push and that doesn't really map well to an HTTP connection.)

So ... let me try it ...

Here's what I'm going to configure:

1.) MMSC VASP - I'm just calling it inbound with a password of inbound. I'm leaving all the defaults. Important setting "Allow Sender Address Override" is checked. And "Receive to MMS-IN Directory" is selected.

2.) MMSC Routing - I'm adding a route called loopback. "Allow Sender Address Override" is checked. MM7 is selected as the protocol. Server address is http://127.0.0.1:8080/mm7 ... username = inbound, password=inbound. Everything else is default values, and I'm selecting this as the default route.

3.) Go back and send a message from a phone number to a phone number, requesting a delivery report. (Don't make it from an e-mail address, because the delivery report may try to get routed via e-mail.) I did my test from the web interface.

That seemed to work ... here is what the delivery report looked like in the MMS-IN directory:

X-NowMMS-Received-From-VASP: inbound
From: +999999999999/TYPE=PLMN
To: +999999999997/TYPE=PLMN
Message-type: m-delivery-ind
MMS-version: 1.0
Message-id: 20090320/12/8E72CB1B@bigkahuna
Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2009 17:35:33 GMT
Status: Retrieved


--
Des
NowSMS Support
Jason Wong
New member
Username: Jasonwcm

Post Number: 9
Registered: 02-2009
Posted on Tuesday, March 24, 2009 - 01:26 am:   

Hi Des.

I am setting up NowSMS with GSM/GPRS modem and I only have MM1 connection. So loopback has to be MM1, am I right?

The configurations that you gave is for MM7. Is there any workaround that you could possibly suggest?
Des - NowSMS Support
Board Administrator
Username: Desosms

Post Number: 633
Registered: 08-2008
Posted on Wednesday, March 25, 2009 - 03:20 pm:   

Hi Jason,

It all depends on what you are trying to do. A real world scenario or a simulated scenario.

Based on your original posting, it looked like a simulated scenario with loopback connections. No messages actually being sent anywhere, all sent messages going to MMS-IN.

If you want a real world scenario, sending MMS messages out via a modem and getting back delivery receipts, most of the above discussion is irrelevant.

Focus first on a working config to send MMS messages out via the modem. This does involve creating an MMSC Routing definition using MM1.

Next configure the MMS receive settings for the modem under properties in the SMSC list. Verify you are receiving ok (note that most phone as modem devices will not work for receiving MMS messages, a dedicated modem device is required).

Now send a message requesting a delivery receipt. As long as your operator supports it (rare for the not to), the receipt should come in just like a received MMS message.

--
Des
NowSMS Support
Jason Wong
New member
Username: Jasonwcm

Post Number: 10
Registered: 02-2009
Posted on Wednesday, March 25, 2009 - 04:26 pm:   

Hi Des

I did managed to send out MMS via gsm modem using MM1 connection.

The MMS messages sent out, did request for delivery receipts.

NowSMS has been configured to receive delivery receipts but somehow not getting it.

The operator definitely supports delivery receipts.

But still I can't seem to troubleshoot where it goes wrong. Been trying for a couple of days but I'm at a loss.

Would really appreciate it if you can help me out.
Des - NowSMS Support
Board Administrator
Username: Desosms

Post Number: 638
Registered: 08-2008
Posted on Thursday, March 26, 2009 - 03:07 pm:   

Can you receive any MMS messages? In other words, is it only delivery receipts that is an issue? (As I mentioned above, most "phone as modem" devices do not support routing received MMS messages over the GSM modem interface. A dedicated modem device is required.)

What version of NowSMS? (Some older ones did not support receiving delivery receipts via a modem.)

If the issue is only with MMS delivery receipts, and the NowSMS version is current (2008) ... then enable the SMSDEBUG.LOG. I'd like to see an SMSDEBUG.LOG showing an MMS message being sent with a delivery receipt requested ... and an MMS message being received. (The time period should also include the sent message being received, even if you're not seeing the delivery receipt.)


--
Des
NowSMS Support
Jason Wong
New member
Username: Jasonwcm

Post Number: 11
Registered: 02-2009
Posted on Friday, March 27, 2009 - 05:05 am:   

Hi Des,

I'm using NowSMS 2008.06.03. Yes, I do receive MMS messages sent via the GSM modem. Attached is the smsdebug.log Looking at the log, I see there's user=test and password=test. I don't remember seeing this anywhere in NowSMS configuration. Is this the cause?

application/octet-streamsmsdebug.log
SMSDEBUG.LOG (2.8 k)
Jason Wong
New member
Username: Jasonwcm

Post Number: 12
Registered: 02-2009
Posted on Monday, March 30, 2009 - 09:23 am:   

FYI, I manage to receive MMS messages and it is stored in MMS-IN directory with the individual attachments in a subdirectory. The only issue now is with the delivery receipts. I don't seem to be receiving it. I have already enabled MMS delivery receipts in NowSMS under MMSC tab. Anyone with any solution since Des is busy at the moment??
Des - NowSMS Support
Board Administrator
Username: Desosms

Post Number: 641
Registered: 08-2008
Posted on Wednesday, April 01, 2009 - 02:54 pm:   

Hi Jason,

I'm back.

We got off on the wrong track on this thread initially with all of the talk of loopback connections.

But what you're doing right now should be pretty basic ... nothing special required.

As I understand it, you just want to send an MMS message out via a GPRS/3G modem, and get a delivery receipt back into the MMS-IN directory.

As long as you can receive MMS messages properly with the modem, there should be no special configuration required.

(Sending MMS messages requires configuring an "MMSC Routing" definition. Receiving MMS messages requires configuring the "MMS Settings" under the "Properties" of the modem in the "SMSC" list.)

I just tried it myself, and did not have to do anything special.

The reason I wanted to see your SMSDEBUG.LOG is because MMS delivery receipts (and notifications for new MMS messages) arrive via SMS. I wanted to see if maybe there was some oddly formatted MMS delivery receipt that we did not recognise. But there's not enough log to really see that.

It might be interesting to have the modem send an MMS message to itself with a delivery receipt requested. (If you request a read receipt, NowSMS does not generate one when the MMS message is retrieved. Delivery receipts, by contrast, are generated by the operator MMSC.)

I'm trying to think of why else you wouldn't be getting a delivery receipt ...

I mentioned earlier that it is possible that the mobile operator does not support them. You say that they do ... but do you know this for sure?

If you send an MMS message with a handset requesting a delivery receipt, do you get a delivery receipt on the handset?

It is also possible for the receiving handset to request that the MMSC suppress any delivery receipts.

Also, I notice that you are requesting both a delivery report and a read report. Try only requesting a delivery report. (Note that you will only get a proper read report if you set the MMS version to 1.2 or higher in the "MMSC Routing" definition ... and if both the operator MMSC and the receiving handset support MMS 1.2 or higher.)

Regarding the "user=test" and "password=test" ... those are the preconfigured username and password in the sample script. They correspond to an "SMS Users" account for authentication to send messages. These parameters are ignored if authentication is not enabled in NowSMS. Either way, these parameters don't have any effect on what you are trying to do.

--
Des
NowSMS Support
Jason Wong
New member
Username: Jasonwcm

Post Number: 13
Registered: 02-2009
Posted on Friday, April 03, 2009 - 09:55 am:   

Des,

Somehow, with the same settings, I got it to work on another mobile operator MMSC. Not too sure if the first operator MMSC suppress the delivery receipts but I did asked them and they said delivery receipts are supported. So thank you very much for your time on that.

On a side note, if you don't mind me asking here, when I send MMS with text containing symbols like the registered (®) and copyright (©), the MMS contents where the symbol is, is being replaced with question marks or square boxes when I change the -cCharset to utf-8 when I create the MMS using mmscomp.

Any idea?
Des - NowSMS Support
Board Administrator
Username: Desosms

Post Number: 655
Registered: 08-2008
Posted on Friday, April 03, 2009 - 03:31 pm:   

Hi Jason,

It's very possible that they might have supported delivery receipts at one time, but disabled them for some operational reason. We have such a setting to disable them in our MMSC. And I've seen from experience where interoperability issues between different MMSCs and MMS aggregators have been problematic for delivery receipts. Over time, compatibility is improving.

In any event, tests with handsets are always a good sanity check.

Regarding the special symbols, are you encoding them with UTF-8 in your source text files?

In cases like this, it usually helps for me to see examples of all of the files ... what command you execute ... etc.

I also know there was a problem with UTF-8 encoded subject headers being transmitted over MM1 connections that was fixed starting with the 2008.03.23 version. So if you are running an earlier version, that could be an issue.

ZIP up a set of example files, and let me know what command line you are using ... and I'll take a closer look.

--
Des
NowSMS Support
Jason Wong
New member
Username: Jasonwcm

Post Number: 14
Registered: 02-2009
Posted on Saturday, April 04, 2009 - 04:04 am:   

I'm using 2008.06.03 version.

Got it to work. I thought I had it on UTF-8 but it was unicode.

Thanks a lot Des. Really appreciate your time.