Config files

[James Smith <ja...@discs.uk.com>]

I am having some trouble finding the spamassassin config files on my system.

I have got /etc/mail/spamassassin with local.cf and init.pre, I have
/etc/spamassassin with the same two files but all four of them seem
relatively empty with only 4 config lines, all of them commented.

I do have a /usr/share/spamassassin with loads of config files in but I am
not supposed to modify these directly am I?

Any other suggestions as to where the elusive config files could be hiding?

I am using Ubuntu with VHCS if that helps.

--
James Smith
IT Director - Music Express

RE: Config files

[James Smith <ja...@discs.uk.com>]

> Ah, Debian.  :/

Not a big fan myself, but thought I would give Ubuntu a try...

> The other place SA configuration files will show up is in 
> ~/.spamassassin.  These are per-user files, and set up 
> *slightly* differently than the main files.  There is one file
> (~/.spamassassin/user_prefs) that is automatically parsed, 
> and this is where per-user Bayes and AWL files will get put 
> as well.  However, on most systems, user_prefs may only 
> contain a limited subset of the SA configuration and rules 
> possible in a .cf file /etc/mail/spamassassin.

Being a VHCS setup the mail accounts do not have associated user accounts so
there are no ~/.spamassassin directories (except for root and james there
are no other home directories).

Can you suggest a change I could make to the /etc/mail/apamassassin/local.cf
file that would make it VERY obvious than the file was being used without
screwing up email delivery in the process.  Perhaps something that would
just insert something new into the headers.  I have tried setting the
use_bayes to 1 and can find no indication that is working...

--
Jay

Re: Config files

[Kris Deugau <kd...@vianet.ca>]

James Smith wrote:
> I am having some trouble finding the spamassassin config files on my system.
> 
> I have got /etc/mail/spamassassin with local.cf and init.pre, I have
> /etc/spamassassin
   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Ah, Debian.  :/

 > I am using Ubuntu with VHCS if that helps.

OK, a Debian derivative.  Same difference.

One is a symlink to the other, I don't recall offhand which way around 
it is.  IIRC it's the "wrong" way (as compared to, oh, say, EVERY OTHER 
DISTRO).  But functionally it doesn't much matter.

> with the same two files but all four of them seem
> relatively empty with only 4 config lines, all of them commented.

Those *are* the stock "user-side" *global* configuration files.  You can 
add entries as you like to those files, and they should not get 
clobbered when you upgrade SA packages.  You can also add new files in 
that directory, and as long as it's a .cf it will be automatically read.

.pre files are only referenced by specific lines in a .cf file;  man 
mail::SpamAssassin::Conf for full details on exactly what goes in the 
various files.

> I do have a /usr/share/spamassassin with loads of config files in but I am
> not supposed to modify these directly am I?

Typically not.  There *are* rare cases where one might need to (ARIN 
opening up IP assignments from a previously reserved IP block causing 
certain rules to FP - IP blocks 76/8, 74/8, and a few others near there 
IIRC), but those files ARE pretty much guaranteed to be overwritten on 
upgrades, and any extra files are very likely to be deleted.

If you *really* want to customize SA to your local mail flow, you 
*could* delete (or change the extension on) the files there, and create 
whole new rulesets entirely customized for your mail.  I don't think you 
really want to go there just yet.  <g>

> Any other suggestions as to where the elusive config files could be hiding?

The other place SA configuration files will show up is in 
~/.spamassassin.  These are per-user files, and set up *slightly* 
differently than the main files.  There is one file 
(~/.spamassassin/user_prefs) that is automatically parsed, and this is 
where per-user Bayes and AWL files will get put as well.  However, on 
most systems, user_prefs may only contain a limited subset of the SA 
configuration and rules possible in a .cf file /etc/mail/spamassassin.

-kgd

RE: Config files

[James Smith <ja...@discs.uk.com>]

Sorry, should have mentioned that /etc/mail/spamassassin is a link to
/etc/spamassassin not a directory.

--
Jay