OT - GreetPause question

[Steve Campbell]

Jeff A. Earickson wrote:
> On Tue, 28 Oct 2008, Steve Campbell wrote:
>
>> Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:29:20 -0400
>> From: Steve Campbell <campbell at cnpapers.com>
>> Reply-To: MailScanner discussion <mailscanner at lists.mailscanner.info>
>> To: mailscanner at lists.mailscanner.info
>> Subject: OT - GreetPause question
>>
>> Done a little googling, but didn't see a specific answer. Don't 
>> belong to the sendmail mail list, but probably should join - I belong 
>> to too many already.
>>
>> It's OT so I'll listen to whatever comes my way.
>>
>> I use GreetPause. I have a default time set at 5000 in my 
>> sendmail.mc(cf) for 5 seconds. I have my own servers set at 0 so that 
>> there is no delay  invoked. I have found where I can put different 
>> delays other than zero for certain IPs to override the default in the 
>> sendmail.cf, but I don't see it working (or maybe the spammers are 
>> really following the rules and wait). The override feature of 
>> GreetPause may only be valid in 8.14 sendmail for values other than 0.
>>
>> So that is my question - is it valid to put something like 
>> "GreetPause:xx.yy.zz    20000" in my access file, remake the 
>> access.db in sendmail 8.13? It doesn't give a warning when I remake 
>> it, but I see no pre-greeting messages for the inserted values in my 
>> logs.
>>
>
> Steve,
>
> Yes, you can do something like:
>
> GreetPause:206.46.170<tab>5000
>
> in your access file, remake access.db, and have it work.  In the 
> example above,
> this is Verizon.  They won't tolerate delays beyond 5 seconds, which 
> is shorter
> than my  7 or 8 sec delay, so I had to make adjustments for them.  
> FWIW, greetpause
> doesn't do much anymore.  Spammers with spambots will just wait you out.
>
> Jeff Earickson
> Colby College

Jeff,

Thanks very much. I typically REJECT a spammer, but when a block of IPs 
start showing up, I GreetPause them with a higher number. Once I know 
the entire Class C is bad, I REJECT that and remove the GreetPause along 
with the individual IP REJECTions. I'm not sure I was doing any good 
with the GreetPauses, but you seem to be correct when you say they wait 
me out, which would explain it.

Steve