Device Profile: IntelliReach MessageScreen email filter appliance (LinuxDevices) [LWN.net]

Using a Xeon blade as a Spam filter?

Posted Jul 18, 2004 17:21 UTC (Sun) by cpm (subscriber, #3554) [Link]

Indeed;

"IntelliReach has used SuSE Linux in a spam-, virus-, and image-filtering network appliance supporting Notes, GroupWise, and Microsoft mail servers."

Umm, okay, in order to make these products useful, put a linux box running oss in front of them.

Uhh, why not just toss all that stuff altogether, build a proper linux or bsd box and be done with it.

sheesh

Using a Xeon blade as a Spam filter?

Posted Jul 18, 2004 18:40 UTC (Sun) by WRatzka (subscriber, #912) [Link]

Replacing the "mail server" is not enough, you also need to replace the client software and (possibly) the groupware functionalitiy provided by those platforms. This might not always be as easy as your comment would suggest.

On the other hand, putting Spam and virus filtering on a separate box and keeping the load from your proper mail server makes perfect sense. If you don't want to setup and administer that "proper linux or bsd box", why not buy an "appliance type" solution?

Scenarios showing how useful this is

Posted Jul 18, 2004 23:19 UTC (Sun) by lakeland (subscriber, #1157) [Link]

I agree 100%.

Scenario 1: A person who runs a small business, with a small net presence. The email address for sales gets 3000 spam a day. Now, this person has zero technical skills -- they manually sort spam using outlook express. Also, particularly dumb filters, such as the ones their ISP provides don't work since their valid emails are commercial too. For someone like that, an appliance that doesn't need to be configured would be perfect. You're not going to be able to get them off outlook and onto thunderbird, at least not without quite a lot of handholding at first. Naturally, an ITX based appliance would be better than a xeon based appliance here.

Scenario 2: A small, entirely windows, outfit. Their tech have zero experience in linux, and after reading only the trade press they put linux down at every opportunity -- these people see linux as a threat. The idea of installing _and_maintaining!_ a linux box to do spam management would horrify them, but buying an appliance with web managemnt would be ok (see, I didn't even have to say webmin ;-)

Scenario 3: A private training establishment that's built up slowly without its IT infrastructure building. They're probably running novell (groupwise) and may have partially migrated to exchange. Servers are likely overloaded, data flow is a mess. Modifying anything in their setup without breaking things requires years of experience, so an appliance that can be fitted into their exotic chain would be wonderful.

Now, these scenarious are real and names have been removed to protect the guilty, so hopefully that's enough examples to see the demand? In a well run setup you can put a proper linux box in and have it manage it all itself, but an appliance is very good at not disrupting any existing infrastructure.

Scenarios showing how useful this is

Posted Jul 19, 2004 0:58 UTC (Mon) by doogie (subscriber, #2445) [Link]

I know I'm going to get flamed for this, but here goes:

Those are the kind of scenarios that need to be done away with. And I mean that, literally. Those are the companies and situations that need to fall by the wayside. Their kind of mentality is what is causing this spam problem. Don't hold their hands; teach them the correct way, so they can teach others. Weed out the sick.

Have you ever tried?

Posted Jul 19, 2004 3:41 UTC (Mon) by lakeland (subscriber, #1157) [Link]

Every time I've seen people being crazily inefficient and tried to help,
I've ended up having to provide (usually free) technical support. I've
now got pretty good at looking the other way...

Have you ever tried?

Posted Jul 19, 2004 7:08 UTC (Mon) by doogie (subscriber, #2445) [Link]

Exactly. Most people are unable or unwilling to learn. Such people need to do everyone else a favor, and remove themselves from the playing field.

Have you ever tried?

Posted Jul 19, 2004 20:57 UTC (Mon) by cpm (subscriber, #3554) [Link]

I don't believe unable. If they are in the line of fire, they are able to deal with it. Cluelessness is cureable. Very few of us know the rfcs well enough to intellegently disagree with them, but some folks are.

I concur with doogie above, teach them the correct way. This does involve some hand holding, and thats fine. But as observed by others, folks have to want to be clueful, this toleration of cluelessness needs to end. If handholding doesn't work, larting is in order.

I've had my hand held, and I've been larted. I've worked hard at doing what I do. I do resent those who don't. The internet is packed full of mailing lists, howtos, irc channels filled with folks who *want* to help. The resources available on learning the RIGHT way, or at least a GOOD way to accomplish what needs to be done are nearly endless.

The small shop examples given are *NOT* prime candidates for yet-still-another-box that allows them to remain in the realm of the clueless. They are primary candidates to spend some time learning how to participate in the internet as netizens. If they really don't have the time, they would do well to hook up with ISP who will take care of these issues for them, and pay accordingly. And I don't mean the big-names with all the advertising. I mean the old-school mom-n-pop operations that are often still going strong with cluesticks that some of us can't even lift. They are out there.

Furthermore, as to the /free tech support/, I have received such and given such. That's how the internet works. No one paid me to set up and run a bbs all those years ago, but because I did, someone years ago was willing to hire me as a sysop, over the years many folks, informally have helped me hone my cluestick to where I can usually meet my employers and clients needs with some help from my friends. That's how it works with nearly everyone I know who has been in this game long enough.

Scenarios showing how useful this is

Posted Jul 19, 2004 7:45 UTC (Mon) by WRatzka (subscriber, #912) [Link]

I guess quite a few people out there would say that "the correct way" is to put spam and virus filtering on a separate box. ;-)

Using a Xeon blade as a Spam filter?

Posted Jul 19, 2004 20:38 UTC (Mon) by cpm (subscriber, #3554) [Link]

The groupware functionality of Outlook is not enough to justify its continued support in view of its inherent and fatal flaws. Get rid of it.

Sooner is better than later, wrapping a broken pipe with sealant may stop the leak for a while, but the pipe is still broken.

If you don't want to set up a proper linux or bsd box and learn to administer a domain and participate in the internet as peer, outsource it all to someone who does.

postmaster@domain.tld needs to be legitmate, responsive and clueful.

No appliance is going to change that.