[Spambayes] Another approach to server based spam filtering.

[akonstam at trinity.edu]

This document is submitted as a possible addition to the document
pages available in the SpamBayes Web site:

	An Alternate method of Server Mail filtering in a Linux 
			or Unix environments

As opposed to other suggested server filtering setups with SpamBayes
this approach has the advantage that although the server is doing all
the filtering each, user on a client machine has complete control of
the training of the filtering process to meet his or her own tastes.
It is ideal for the university student lab environment but could be
used in commercial environments as well.

The basis of this method is that all the user directories as well as
the password authentication data are kept on the server.  The
authentication data is made available to all the client machines
through a well known Unix and Linux service called NIS. Any user can
sit at any machine and log in using the same password, change passwords
and make any other changes to their user environment.

The home directories are NFS mounted from the server on all the
client machines. Therefore, the users home directory on the client
machine is identical to the one on the server. The user has access to
his hammie.db file, his personal configuration file and all the
SpamBayes software that has been installed on the clients. Of course
the SpamBayes software is also installed on ther server. 
Mail is trained by the server using a .procmailrc file in
the users directory that runs sb_filter.py. One further thing, which
should be obviousi, we have created  MX records so that all mail
addressed to a client is actually delivered to the server.

Training can easily be done with a simple script such as:

#!/bin/bash
#script: trainsb

/usr/bin/sb_mboxtrain.py -d $HOME/.hammie.db -g  $HOME/Mail/$1 -s $HOME/Mail/$2

used as follows: trainsb ham spam

Notice that no proxy servers of any kind are necessary for the user to
read their mail, train it, manipulate it or do anything else they want
to do. However, if they want to use the web interface on the local
client machine to train their mail that is also available to them.

As a side note we run our lab Windows machines in exactly the same way.
There is a server for authenticating users and users directories are
kept on central server.  One imagines one could train users mail in
exactly the same way on our Windows machines in our labs.
-- 
-------------------------------------------
Aaron Konstam
Computer Science
Trinity University
One Trinity Place.
San Antonio, TX 78212-7200

telephone: (210)-999-7484
email:akonstam at trinity.edu