On 2/2/02 at 11:19 AM, jmcleod wrote:

> I need help and suggestions on setting up Sims to block unwanted spam.
> My users are complaining about the amount of spam we are getting.
> 
> In the past I've been black listing individuals spammers.  I now feel
> the need to use a real time black list.

As you've apparently discovered, a local blacklist with entries added ad hoc
is a pain to maintain manually.

> Which one should I use? Also I'm confused as to just what I put in the
> SMPT settings to use a RBL.

There are a number of DNS based RBLs that SIMS can use. They can be grouped
into three basic categories: lists of open relays, lists of known spam
sources, and lists of dial-up and/or dynamically assigned IP address ranges.
Everyone has their favorites, and different lists may be appropriate for
different users, depending on your situation and needs. For blocking open
relays, I currently prefer the ORDB list. For my purposes, it seems to have
the least collateral damage (i.e. it blocks the least legitimate mail). To use
it, I've got the following line in SIMS' 'RBL Servers' list:

relays.ordb.org "Please see <http://www.ordb.org/> for more information."

The other half of the set-up is to enter the IP address(es) into SIMS local
blacklist that will be returned by the DNSBl service for blacklisted hosts.
For ORDB, it is (IIRC) 127.0.0.2, but I've got 127.0.0.2-127.0.0.255 in my
blacklist to cover all possible responses by any DNSBl. That way, I can add
and remove RBL servers without having to also edit my blacklist each time.

For dial-ups and known spammers, I use:

dialups.relays.osirusoft.com "Please see <http://relays.osirusoft.com/> for
more information."

and

sbl.spamhaus.org "Please see <http://www.spamhaus.org/> for more information."

respectively. I also regularly spend a non-trivial amount of time tracking
down sources of spam that makes it through SIMS' defenses -- either from not
being listed in a DNSBl or from being delivered to a whiteholed address.
Offending hosts are reported to their upstream providers, and either submitted
to the appropriate DNSBl service or added to my local blacklist. My users
report that they receive very little spam.  8^)

                   Christopher Bort | [EMAIL PROTECTED]
            Webmaster, Global Homes | [EMAIL PROTECTED]
      <http://www.globalhomes.com/> | PGP public key available on request

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