[SpamAssassin Wiki] Updated: AwlWrongWay

[co...@spamassassin.apache.org]

   Date: 2004-10-01T13:49:48
   Editor: MattKettler <mk...@comcast.net>
   Wiki: SpamAssassin Wiki
   Page: AwlWrongWay
   URL: http://wiki.apache.org/spamassassin/AwlWrongWay

   Added suggestions on how to handle an AWL db which really is bad.

Change Log:

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@@ -16,4 +16,10 @@
 
 As you can see from these examples, the AWL operates by averaging out the "score spikes" between different emails. By the very nature of averages, this means that it will push the high points down, and the low points up, but it will always push them towards the average for that sender. As long as the average for that sender is on the right side of the spam/nonspam fence, it will do its job nicely. 
 
+Now, with that said, it IS possible for the AWL to be polluted and cause problems. Generally this is the result of past misconfiguration or scoring problems that have since been fixed, but the AWL retains the old average and causes score problems, pushing things onto the wrong side of the spam/ham threshold line. 
+
+If you have this problem, you can use spamassassin --remove-addr-from-whitelist to remove any prior knowledge about a given address from the AWL database. If you consult the main spamassassin manpage, there are other commands to force an AWL entry towards the black or white, but use these somewhat cautiously.
+
+If your AWL is pulling scores wildly in the wrong direction and you have no idea why, check your configuration for problems. This is especially true if you use add-on rules or custom rules. If an errantly scored email got averaged into the AWL once, it can happen again, and tweaking the AWL is only going to provide a short-term solution to a greater problem. 
+
 (by MattKettler)