Windows Server 2003 SBS - spam filter

feenster99

feenster99

feenster99

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Hi all,

We use Windows Server 2003 SBS at work, and are getting hammered with spam. I know there is SP2 for Exchange which upgrades the Intelligent Message Filter to handle spam, but it appears to be only for standalone Exchange on Windows Server 2003, not Small Business.

Does anyone know if it will in fact work, or can you recommend a free/open source spam filter that I could use? We are <10 users, all mail collected via individual accounts in the POP3 connector.

Cheers,
Matt
 
As long as you collect your mail in SBS using SMTP the IMF will work fine, otherwise have a look at MailEssentials, which I use on several SBS systems, as it gives a lot more options, you can also download a free trial to test it out before buying it.

Just noticed that you are using POP3 to download you emails so IMF will not work in your case, MailEssentials however will as it can download email via POP3 and then filter it.
 
Well, the issue was more whether we could upgrade the version of Exchange that we have in SBS 2003 to SP2 - the Microsoft site is very vague on the subject.

The other thing is, we collect our mail via POP3. Would I fair better installing a proxy like SpamPal, and just setting it up that way?

Matt
 
You could route your mail through someone like blackspider who will check for viri and spam. There are many other providers that do this also.

I thought exchance sp2 was the same whether you are running sbs or just 2003. There is an upgrade path for sbs, which includes the sharepoint services, 2003 sp1 etc.
 
Thanks for the reply Jon. I suspected that the SP2 should work, just didn't want to try it and make a mess, as nowhere along the way does it mention SBS.

I have installed SpamPal on my local machine to try out. The latest Betas have a transparent proxy, so it should work without having to re-route everything. Fingers crossed!

Matt
 
Thanks for the advice. That site looks useful too, i'll give it a read.

I've installed SpamPal on the server, and it appears to be working fairly well. I have set it to the weakest setting, and it is picking bits up - just not very much at the moment! It works though, that is the main thing :)

Matt
 
Bummer. SpamPal worked for a short time, but then decided to suck all the emails into a vacuum. I could see them coming in and entering SpamPal but they never made it into the users mailboxes.

Onto the next option :(

Matt
 
Yes, you can upgrade to Exchange 2003 SP2 follow the instructions on www.smallbizserver.net, I know Mariette who runs that site.

Besides increasing your mailbox limits and Exchange patches, its not going to do very much for you, as IMF will not work with POP3.

Best bet as I have already metioned is MailEssentials.
 
marin said:
Yes, you can upgrade to Exchange 2003 SP2 follow the instructions on www.smallbizserver.net, I know Mariette who runs that site.

Besides increasing your mailbox limits and Exchange patches, its not going to do very much for you, as IMF will not work with POP3.
Click to expand...

Really? Rats, I must have read that wrong. Humm, well i'll give SpamPal another try, but looks like it might be simpler to invest in MailEssentials then.

Matt
 
Jon,
To be honest, i'm not sure. I took over the running of the server from someone who left. Could you explain what the difference would be and why it would be beneficial to us? Sorry if thats a bit of a newbie question :S

Matt
 
Basically instead of collecting mail via pop 3. Email is delivered directly to your server instantly. You'll need to get your host to alter your dns records to do this, and also have a backup MX record in case your server is unreachable.

Have a read up on MX records and smtp delivery for SBS. Its a far better method as you can just add email and manage email addresses from the server.
 
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