final authority on forwarded email and spamassassin

[RobertH <ro...@abbacomm.net>]

Is there anything like a document or documents re: authority on forwarded
email and spamassassin behavior, training, and tuning?

Is it as simple as putting the forwarding mail server ip in the proper trust
path and letting SA do the rest and tuning as necessary?

Or based upon others vast experience should it be avoided?

Im feeling déjàvu here.

 - rh

Re: final authority on forwarded email and spamassassin

[mouss <mo...@netoyen.net>]

RobertH wrote:
> Is there anything like a document or documents re: authority on forwarded
> email and spamassassin behavior, training, and tuning?
> 

not clear what you mean

> Is it as simple as putting the forwarding mail server ip in the proper trust
> path and letting SA do the rest and tuning as necessary?

if a server gets mail for your domain and then forwards it you, yes, 
you'll have to tune your trust path. make sure to read about 
trusted_networks, internal_networks and msa_networks.

> 
> Or based upon others vast experience should it be avoided?
> 

it is always easier to filter mail that you get directly. but this is 
not always possible/desirable.

Re: final authority on forwarded email and spamassassin

[mouss <mo...@netoyen.net>]

RobertH wrote:
> Ok mouss lets try this
> 
> I forward some email accounts of other domains I do not own with .forward
> files on those *nix boxen
> 
> I have them forward to an email address I have in the abbacomm.net domain
> and of course we run spamassassin.
> 

That's what I understood. I have similar accounts and I put the 
forwarding servers in my trusted_networks. You don't want to break SPF 
checking, AWL, ... etc. and you get the benefit of not checking them in 
dnsbl and the like.

> They run spamassassin on their boxes too yet it does a poor admin job.
> 
> Should I forward to my box or not and train those spammy emails or what?

you want to filter these messages, so you need to run SA on them. and 
for better results, you need to train it.

> 
> Or should I just pop3 from them and be done with it or?
> 

It's up to you. I prefer forwarding.

> That is what I am talking about...
> 

RE: final authority on forwarded email and spamassassin

[RobertH <ro...@abbacomm.net>]

Ok mouss lets try this

I forward some email accounts of other domains I do not own with .forward
files on those *nix boxen

I have them forward to an email address I have in the abbacomm.net domain
and of course we run spamassassin.

They run spamassassin on their boxes too yet it does a poor admin job.

Should I forward to my box or not and train those spammy emails or what?

Or should I just pop3 from them and be done with it or?

That is what I am talking about...

 - rh

Re: final authority on forwarded email and spamassassin

[mouss <mo...@netoyen.net>]

RobertH wrote:
> Mouss and Greg
>  
>> In my experience the most important thing is to add the IP address of 
>> systems that take mail from the internet and send it on to you to 
>> trusted_networks.  This will enable RBL checks on the previous-hop 
>> addresses.  I have added not only peer mail servers within my 
>> organization but also some servers that catch mail to gdt@foo and 
>> forward it to me, and a few mailing list servers that don't have 
>> adequate spam filtering.
>>
>> After you've done that, take some spam and run "spamassassin -D -t" 
>> and read the output for "X-Spam-Relays-Trusted".
> 
> 
> What I mean is external mail server with different email account and domain
> for me or others I can forward to main email address or addresses
> 
> I would trust the server not to "originate" spam yet it doesn't relay for my
> servers or domains.
> 

it does relay mail for you. the fact that it is not the mx of a domain 
you own doesn't matter.


> It would just forward email to me from old email account(s)
> 
> These would not be "free" email service addresses which I think would cause
> another round of issues with possible solution
> 
>  - rh
> 

RE: final authority on forwarded email and spamassassin

[RobertH <ro...@abbacomm.net>]

Mouss and Greg
 
> In my experience the most important thing is to add the IP address of 
> systems that take mail from the internet and send it on to you to 
> trusted_networks.  This will enable RBL checks on the previous-hop 
> addresses.  I have added not only peer mail servers within my 
> organization but also some servers that catch mail to gdt@foo and 
> forward it to me, and a few mailing list servers that don't have 
> adequate spam filtering.
> 
> After you've done that, take some spam and run "spamassassin -D -t" 
> and read the output for "X-Spam-Relays-Trusted".


What I mean is external mail server with different email account and domain
for me or others I can forward to main email address or addresses

I would trust the server not to "originate" spam yet it doesn't relay for my
servers or domains.

It would just forward email to me from old email account(s)

These would not be "free" email service addresses which I think would cause
another round of issues with possible solution

 - rh

Re: final authority on forwarded email and spamassassin

[Greg Troxel <gd...@ir.bbn.com>]

"RobertH" <ro...@abbacomm.net> writes:

> Is there anything like a document or documents re: authority on forwarded
> email and spamassassin behavior, training, and tuning?
>
> Is it as simple as putting the forwarding mail server ip in the proper trust
> path and letting SA do the rest and tuning as necessary?

In my experience the most important thing is to add the IP address of
systems that take mail from the internet and send it on to you to
trusted_networks.  This will enable RBL checks on the previous-hop
addresses.  I have added not only peer mail servers within my
organization but also some servers that catch mail to gdt@foo and
forward it to me, and a few mailing list servers that don't have
adequate spam filtering.

After you've done that, take some spam and run "spamassassin -D -t" and
read the output for "X-Spam-Relays-Trusted".