Measure the SMTP roundtrip time to an external email address

In an attempt to be more proactive about Internet email delays, whether caused by our systems, or those of our ISP, I have written a script which tests the roundtrip time on SMTP mail.

The basic idea behind the script is to send a message with a GUID, and wait for the return of that specific message. When that message returns, it measures the roundtrip time, and logs the result to disk. If the message is not returned within 30 mins, it will send you a warning message informing you of the problem.

Finally, the script creates a nice JPG with the results up to the last run.

Setting up and using this script is a little more complex than usual as it combines different technologies and resources to achieve its goal, which is to measure the roundtrip time on an actual SMTP message.

To start off, the script sends a message using a standard .NET relay. On Powershell V2 you could use send-mailmessage instead. At this point, the message is time stamped in the subject, with the current date and time. The message is also marked with a distinguishable word “SMTPPing”  for the reply rule, and a random GUID, which aids in recognising the message when it returns.

I use Gmail, as my “auto-reply” robot, as I am fairly certain that their infrastructure is robust and pretty stable. If you choose to use Gmail, you will need to setup a filter, which automatically forwards all mail with the word “SMTPPing” back to your email address, and then deletes it from Gmail.

Once you are sure that the auto reply is working, you can configure the script with your SMTP email addresses and relay host.

The return messages are collected from an Outlook mailbox using MAPI. You need to customise the script for the Outlook profile it needs to logon to. More details regarding this can be found as comments inside the script.

Outlook does not like strangers poking around in your stuff, so it will constantly warn you about this. To get around this problem, and also be a little selective about what you allow, you can download an awesome free tool from MapiLab called Advanced Outlook Security. 

Lastly, the script needs Excel installed, in order for the chart creation and export to JPG.

I am not sure why, but I am having problems currently closing Excel. Although I issue the command to close the application, it sometimes remains running, so lookout for excel.exe in process monitor.

As usual, your comments and suggestions are always welcome.

The script can be downloaded from here: