Re: How a correct mail looks like?

From: Harry Phillips (harry_at_hkjsfh.com)
Date: 05/04/04 

Date: Tue, 04 May 2004 23:23:09 +1000

Gergely Kral wrote:
> Hi!
>
> Sorry for the bit unrelated question, but I am completely lost.
>
> My father sends me mail by connecting to his ISP via a modem and using
> SMTP to the ISP's mailserver. His mails are silently discarded by our
> mailserver. Fortunately, the other (web-based) mailserver only moves his
> mails to trash so I can read them there.
>

Which server? Your ISP's? Your internal server? Not enough info, read
the smart questions guide.

> So there is something wrong with his mails, they are treated as spams,

Most SPAM filters have a whitelist, why don't you add his address to
that on your server.

> though his name, email address and other headers seems to be correct. He
> is using OutlookExpress, but I don't think it matters.
>

I recieve many e-mails everyday from people using OE, none of them are
considered spam. What has your father done to it that mangles the
message so badly?

> My question is: do anyone know which are those facts that consider a
> mail a spam?
>

There are many factors added up together that make a filter consider the
message to be spam. Take SpamAssassin for example, it gives the message
0.3 points for this, 2.7 points for that, 0.8 points for the other. Once
they add up to a certain level it is considered SPAM and is marked as such.

I then have filters to sort it, I have configured it so that under 5.5
is not considered spam, between 5.5 and 12 is marked and placed into a
special folder. If it is over 12 it is automatically deleted because it
is spam or so badly formated that I don't want to see it.

> Any links or google search tips are appreciated, I don't even know where
> to start.
>

I am in two minds about this post of yours, you are either incompetent
at running your own mail server and the setup of it, or you are an
incompetent spammer asking us how to beat the filters we have in place.

If it is the first you need to Google the mail filter you have in place
and read the doco on how to add your Dad's e-mail address to the whitelist.

That suggestion of course doesn't help you if you are the second, what
could you do with that information? Ask everyone to add you to their
whitelist? 

-- 
Regards,
Harry Phillips
--- Failure is not an option,
     it comes bundled with your Microsoft product.

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