scanning on both primary and second MX servers

[Julian Field]

On 3 May 2006, at 23:36, Logan Shaw wrote:

> On Tue, 2 May 2006, Julian Field wrote:
>> On 2 May 2006, at 00:20, Logan Shaw wrote:
>
>>> So, I thought I had a solution:  install MailScanner on the
>>> backup MX as well.  Then blacklisting will be in effect over
>>> there, and everything's great, theoretically.  I installed all
>>> that, and just now I realized the flaw in that plan.  I now
>>> get two sets of headers because the messages are being scanned
>>> twice by two different machines.  (I get "X-Spam-Status: Yes,
>>> Yes" and stuff like that.)
>>
>> What I would advise is that you install SpamAssassin (used as part  
>> of MailScanner, download by "easy-to-install" package of ClamAV+SA  
>> from the MailScanner downloads page). You can then not only assign  
>> your own scores to different RBLs if you want to, but more  
>> importantly SpamAssassin will check all the hosts through which  
>> the message passed, not just the last hop (which is all  
>> MailScanner can do).
>>
>> SpamAssassin is much better than MailScanner with this feature.
>
> Aha, so just to recap now that I've taken a day or whatever to
> digest that response, I think what you're saying is this:
>
> 1.  Even though MailScanner uses SpamAssassin, they each have
>     their own independent RBL implementations and MailScanner
>     uses its own and turns off SpamAssassin's.

MailScanner does not turn off SpamAssassin's RBL support. You can  
(and I do) use both.

>
> 2.  SpamAssassin's RBL support works better in that it scans
>     all the Received: headers, rather than just looking at
>     where the most recent message came from.  And also in that
>     it gives me more control over scoring.
>
> 3.  I can set up MailScanner to use SpamAssassin's implementation
>     instead, so that I can continue to use MailScanner but I can
>     use the superior RBL implementation.
>
> And it would appear (please tell me if I'm on the right track!)
> that the implications of this are:
>
> 1.  I need to make sure I have properly configured SpamAssassin
>     so that it correctly identifies which hosts are/aren't
>     trusted, and I use the "trusted_networks" setting to do
>     this by putting a list of all my own MX hosts (and those
>     I trust, like maybe my ISP's).
>
> 2.  If I do this (and if I don't feel the need to delete the
>     spam immediately on the secondary MX), then I don't
>     necessarily have to have MailScanner or SpamAssassin or
>     any other filtering software on the backup MX, because
>     SpamAssassin can catch everything on the main mail server.
>
> Do I basically have that correct?  If so, that makes my life
> easier, because it is a bit more of a pain to maintain a second
> MailScanner setup on the backup MX machine.  (Especially
> considering that its bayes and autowhitelisting will be all
> screwed up, so those require special attention...)

 From what I see, yes.

-- 
Julian Field
www.MailScanner.info
Buy the MailScanner book at www.MailScanner.info/store
PGP footprint: EE81 D763 3DB0 0BFD E1DC 7222 11F6 5947 1415 B654


-- 
This message has been scanned for viruses and
dangerous content by MailScanner, and is
believed to be clean.
MailScanner thanks transtec Computers for their support.