Setting Up SMS Alert on SharePoint 2010 Lists/Libraries

For the past week, I have been working on an enterpise microblogging POC for a customer in Australia, running on Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 platform.  It's an interesting POC and one of the key requirements implemented was the capability on sending SMS alerts for changes in SharePoint lists/libraries that interest the users.

We found an SMS provider that offers a trial account which enables us to send SMS from our  SharePoint by calling their Web Services. It is Red Oxygen global SMS gateway (30 days trial)

Below are the steps in setting up and configuring the SMS alert:

• Obtain the root certificate for the SMS service provider's HTTPS Web address, which is https://www.redoxygen.net/oms/service.asmx.  Open the URL using your browser and find out its SSL certificate.  The certificate is issued by Go Daddy Secure Certification Authority.
• Open the certificate store in your machine using MMC Certificate snap-in and export the Go Daddy issued certificate into a .cer file.
• Open a Command Prompt window.
• Type mmc and press the ENTER key. Note that to view certificates in the local machine store, you must be in the Administrator role.
• On the File menu, click Add/Remove Snap In.
• Click Add.
• In the Add Standalone Snap-in dialog box, select Certificates.
• Click Add.
• In the Certificates snap-in dialog box, select Computer account and click Next.
• In the Select Computer dialog box, select Local Computer and click Finish.
• Click OK.
• In the Console Root window, click Certificates (Local Computer) to view the certificate stores for the computer.
• Click Trusted Root Certification Authorities and click Certificates
• Fromt the certificate list, find certificate issued by Go Daddy Class 2 Certification Authority
• Right click on it, choose All Tasks, and then Export
• Click Next two times
• In File to Export, fill-in the path and the file name (i.e. c:\godaddy.cer)
• Click Next and click Finish
• Import the root certificate and create a trusted root authority by using Windows PowerShell
• On the Start menu, click All Programs.
• Click Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Products.
• Right click SharePoint 2010 Management Shell and Run as Administrator
• Get the root certificate by typing in:
• $cert = Get-PfxCertificate c:\godaddy.cer
• Create a trusted root authority by typing in:
• New-SPTrustedRootAuthority -Name GoDaddy -Certificate $cert

 

• Configure the mobile account for a server farm by using Central Administration
• On the Central Administration Home page, click System Settings.
• On the System Settings page, in the E-Mail and Text Messages (SMS) section, click Configure mobile account.
• On the Mobile Account Settings page, in the Text Message (SMS) Service Settings section
• The URL of Text Message (SMS) Service: https://www.redoxygen.net/oms/service.asmx
• User name: [your trial account user name]
• Password: [your trial account password]
• To confirm that the URL and user credentials are correct, click Test Service.
• Click OK.

That's it!  Your SMS alert service is up and running.  To test, go to a document library and create an Alert Me setting for the changes in the library (Notes: Alert Me button will not be shown up in the Ribbon of the library if the outgoing email settings have not been configured).  Upload a new file into the library, wait for a few minutes, and finger cross ... you will receive the SMS alert in your mobile/smart phone.