RE: [Sheflug] Spam filtering

["Morris, David (Allvac, UK)" <david [at] xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Barrie Bremner [mailto:baz-sheflug [at] barriebremner.com] 
> Sent: 30 July 2003 21:20
> To: shef-lug [at] list.sheflug.org.uk
> Subject: [Sheflug] Spam filtering
> 
> 
> >>>>> "Chris" == Chris Johnson <chris [at] seseaz.org.uk> writes:
> 
>     Chris> Is it possible to filter spam on our ISPs mail server
>     Chris> without first downloading the mail to our local server?
> 
> Use SpamAssassin. http://www.spamassassin.org/
> 
> Just tagging email as potential spam is trival.

...but, unless I misread something when I installed my Spamassassin
setup, it works, effectively, as a filter on the incoming mail (which is
certainly how mine is currently running). That, from reading what Chris
wanted, isn't desirable. He wants to leave messages on the ISP's server.

I do see that approach as having flaws though. It would be impossible to
rewrite the headers on the ISP's mail system as the messages were
processed - all you could do would be to delete the ones identified as
spam. All well and good if even spamassassin were 100% correct and never
yielded any false positives... but it does from time to time, and you
don't want to go around deleting real mail...

Personally, for what Chris wants, I think he'd be better off biting the
bullet and sticking a little Linux box in to process all the incoming
mail and reconfiguring his users to pick up (filtered) mail from that
box. He could also use the same machine for his proxy then (unless he
decided to run that on his IPCop firewall :-).


-- 
David Morris
European IT Manager, Allvac Ltd, Sheffield, England
work e: david [at] allvac.co.uk   http://www.allvac.co.uk
home e: david [at] brassedoff.net http://www.davidm.demon.co.uk

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