Support - Spam Filtering; Support; Adaptable Digits, Internet solutions for a digital world.

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Adjusting your Spam Filtering Options

What is it? Spam filtering is controlled by two server based programs. One is called SpamCop and the other is called Spam Assassin. SpamCop uses a web based blacklist to identify email from known spam sourcses. Spam Assassin scans your incoming email and uses alogorithms and web based blacklists to determine the possibility that the message is spam. When your account is first set up, Spam assassin will add the text "[Spam]" to the beginning of each identified email subject line. You have the ability to adjust the settings as listed below. Remember that this is not an exact science so some spam will still get through the filter and the filter might identify some valid email. For additional spam filtering, we recommed using SpamFighter or we recommed using SpamPal for Windows. Both are open source solutions available at no charge or at a yearly fee.

Again, Here is how Spam Assassin works initially:

Spam Assassin scans your incomming email as it reaches the mail server to see if it is suspected spam. If it determines a message is spam, it adds the text [Spam] to the subject line of the email. ie.;

[Spam] Now you can wash your socks without effort . . .

When you check your email, the spam is sent along to you either as a message or as an attachment to a message. (The initial setup didn't seem to be consistent with this part)

From here, you have a few options:

Do nothing and delete the spam manually as you always do.
Set up your email program to move all messages with [Spam] in the subject line to a spam folder that you create in your email program. (This allows you to see what you might miss if Spam Assassin is wrong)
Set up your mail program to delete all messages with [Spam] in the subject line.

I use option 2 here. This allows me to look for messages clients said they sent and I never got. I can also monitor Spam Assassin for accuracy. Some email from ebay and other catalogs that I want always fall into the description of spam. You can collect the email addresses here and place them in your "allowed senders list" on your server so Spam Assassin will ignore them in the future. (More on that later)

HOW TO ADJUST YOUR INDIVIDUAL SPAM ASSASSIN SETTINGS

Spam Assassin allows to to adjust Spam Tolerance levels as well as what it does to email it identifies as spam. To work with these settings you must access your user control panel on the web as follows:

In your web browser navigate to:

www.yourdomain.com/user (for me it is www.adaptabledigits.com/user)

You will probably get a security warning that says the server name doesn't match the name on the certificate. Ignore this as the certificate is issued to adaptabledigits and your domain name certainly doesn't match:) Just press the button necessary to continue to the next screen.

Here you will have to login

Login: is the name to the left of the @ in your email address. (for frank@suekel.com it is frank) Normally they are all lowercase letters.

Leave the domain as it is, it should be your domain.

Password: is your email password

Once you have submitted your login, you will get to your user administration area. If you haven't been here before, there are some things you can do with your email from here which is sometimes nice to be able to do.

Access Spam Filtering by clicking on the Spam Filtering menu item in the left column near the bottom. The right pane will change to show spam filtering settings.

The top section allows you to adjust your Spam Tolerance Level. By default it is set to 5. The instructions here are easy to follow.

The bottom section allows you to change the way Spam Assassin handles your identified spam. You can change these to your specifications.

WARNING -

The chioce: "Move spam email to my blocked folder" will send the email to a folder on the mail server for blocked email. It will no longer send the email to your email program on your computer. To access this email, you'll have to use your web based email program (Squirrelmail) which can be accessed through the link on the left labeled "Email Access" or by navigating to www.yourdomain.com/squirrelmail

THE BIGGEST DOWNSIDE TO THIS SELECTION - The server based spam "blocked folder" doesn't automatically delete old email/spam so you could over time collect so much spam here that your domain will reach it's data storage capacity. When this happens, your server will stop functioning. you'll get no more email and your website might even stop working! IF YOU CHOOSE THIS OOPTION, BE SURE TO EMPTY THIS "BLOCKED" REGULARLY!!!!

Now for the other 2 settings:

At the top of the right pane, right below the header Spam Filtering (green and white) there are 2 other links that you can select:

Allowed Senders List:

If you click on this link, it will take you to an rea you can enter email addresses that spam assassin will ignore. This is where you enter an email adress for legitimate email that Spam Assassin has identified incorrectly so it will not happen again.

Blocked Senders List:

This work the same as the allowed senders except that this email will always be blocked. I don't think you will even get it with [Spam] added to the subject area. It will be deleted without further consideration.