Click here to find out more about anti-spam and anti-virus filtering if you have not subscribed to FishNet's e-mail filtering service.

FishNet runs the open source SpamAssassin system to filter spam out of your FishNet server inbox. SpamAssassin uses a well proven statistical analysis method of identifying spam based on many different structural characteristics of the mail in addition to keyword content. A major advantage of this new system is that it allows you to manage your mail directly. It also "learns" about new types of spam as it is reported, thus becoming more effective over time.

Overview

Incoming mail for a domain that has subscribed for spam filtering is sent to SpamAssassin for evaluation. SpamAssassin analyses the mail and assigns a numeric score to various elements. If the total score exceeds a pre-established level, the message is tagged as spam. The overall spam status (yes or no,) the total numeric score of the mail, and a detailed list of the scored elements is inserted into the e-mail headers. SpamAssassin then returns the mail for final delivery.

The FishNet mail server examines the spam status of each delivered mail. Mail that is tagged as spam is quarantined into a special folder on the mail server called "spam_folder". The contents of this folder can be reviewed online via our webmail system by going to our web site at http://www.fni.com/, then clicking on the "Webmail" link in the left column. (You will need your account login information to use the webmail system. The webmail system is an excellent way to manage mail while traveling!)

NOTE: Spam that has a total score of 20 or above is discarded; it is not delivered into "spam_folder". Anything with a score that high is almost certainly not something anyone will want to see.

Learning Valid Mail

You may wish to occasionally review the mail in the "spam_folder" to make sure that no good mail has been quarantined. Valid mail that has been falsely tagged as spam and deliverd to "spam_folder" can be learned as good mail by moving it to a special folder called "spam_unlearn". Mail placed in that folder will be automatically processed and requeued to your inbox.

Learning New Spam

If you manage all your mail via the webmail interface, spam mail that makes it into your inbox can be learned as spam by moving the mail to a special folder on the mail server called "spam_learn."

If you download your mail to your local computer, how can you send it back to the FishNet SpamAssassin to train it as spam? For most busy people the best option is simply to delete the spam, as sending the mail back must be done with care if it is to be effective.

NB: If you do wish to send the spam back, it is important to note that you cannot simply forward the mail back; it must be "bounced" or "redirected" to the server in order to keep critical header information that is important to spam training.

Not all mail programs permit redirection; AOL, Outlook Express and Novell Groupwise in particular do not seem to permit this. The SpamAssassin web site has a helpful page of directions for various email programs. If your mail program does not permit redirection, please do not send the mail back for training!

If your mail program permits redirection, you can redirect the mail to "spam_learn at fni dot com". Note that the address is spelled out, and you will need to recompose it for use.

Automatic Cleanup

Given the volume of spam these days, the "spam_folder" must be regularly cleaned out. The contents of "spam_folder" will be automatically cleaned out so as to leave the last 10 days of mail for review; anything older than that will be deleted.

Webmail Operation Notes

Note: once mail has been downloaded to your computer, it is no longer available in your INBOX for review by the webmail system. Mail in other folders is not downloaded to your computer and stays resident on the FishNet server.

When you have logged into the FishNet webmail system, you can check to see if you have subscribed webmail to the three new folders "spam_folder", "spam_learn" and "spam_unlearn". In the upper right hand corner there is a drop-down list of folders. If you do not see these three folders in the list, you will need to subscribe these folders. This is a straightforward one time process.

To subscribe the new folders, click on the "Folders" icon across the top of the webmail screen. If you see a link "Show Unsubscribed", click on it to show all folders. Click the checkbox beside each of the folders, then choose the action "Subscribe to Folder(s)" from the drop-down action menu. You can then return to the INBOX, or one of the new folders.

To move a mail from one folder to another, say from "spam_folder" to "spam_unlearn", go into the "spam_folder". Then click the box by the mail you want to transfer, choose the "spam_unlearn" folder from the drop-down list by "Move | Copy" on the right side of the window (either the top or the bottom on), then click the "Move" link. That should complete the transfer.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. Thank you again for your ongoing business!