Re: [cobalt-users] TMDA

[Wayne <cobalt@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Jeff,
Thanks for your reply.

On Mon, 15 Dec 2003 14:21:18 -0800, you wrote:

>On Monday 15 December 2003 01:38 pm, Wayne wrote:
>
>> TMDA does take some doing to get it working so I would suggest to do
>> it on a test system first. Once it running smoothly it is very nice
>> and I have not lost any email so far.
>
>I'm glad to hear that TMDA has got some of it right.  Nevertheless, I 
>stand by my comments which were based on their own documentation, 
>concerning getting tmda.cgi to run on anything besides qmail.
>
Here is the excerpt from the tmda.cgi auto install documentation.
"Important note: The skel directories included with tmda-cgi were designed for
servers running qmail. If you use a different mail server package, do not use
the files as-is! You should look through these files and see how they work, but
you will need to create a totally different set of skel files."

All this means is you will have to generate your own skel files. TMDA comes from
sourceforge and you have to believe that some modification is required and will
not work "out of the box". These distributions assume that the user has / is
familiar with configuring linux systems and the various parts.

>And without tmda.cgi how would your clients be able to manage their own 
>account?
>
>And how good are your clients going to be on managing their own accounts 
>successfully and not increase your customer support load?
>
Absolutely correct, tmda.cgi is essential for your more experienced users to
manage their own accounts. It may not work for anyone that needs hand holding.

>I stand by my original decision to block all challenge/response 
>mechanisms from most of the domains I control; I believe I am in the 
>majority of administrators who feel this way.
>
I am not sure what you mean here, whether you are talking about mail lists or
domains. Of the mail lists I maintain if any challenges come in they go nowhere
and are ignored. I have had some trouble with spamassasin (sp) where it has
blocked mail list messages from going out and reaching the subscriber.
As for domains I just let the mail go through and each client deals with it. I
did offer to use spamcop but they did not want that and preferred to deal with
it themselves. Clients choice.
>Jeff

TMDA is still a valid choice for those that have the knowledge to install and
configure it. The web interface makes it much easier to install and use for the
end user but still requires someone that is familiar with linux and vi for
example. My ISP uses SpamCop for the primary filter and that removes about 60 to
75% of the Spam which leaves ~20 to 30 msgs per day for me to see and delete.
Since TMDA has been installed only one spam message made it through. I am a
happy camper now and spend less time dealing with the spam.

Take care
Wayne