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rwakeford
Joined: 30 Jul 2006
Posts: 27
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 Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 9:10 pm Post subject: Can't check on the server |
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If I select either of the first two checking on server options in the Servers/Edit section, TB! checks only 20 messages and then sticks. If I restart the connection it checks the next 20 and so on until the end when it completely gets stuck and does nothing.
Even though it tells me that it's deleted, in the last case, 3 messages from the serverr (and they showed up on the log as being deleted), no messages were downloaded because of the final glitch.
This happens with both the normal TB! and also Voyager and with a trial version of 1.62 professional.
Oh yes, another little point. I installed it for the first time today and, instead of 30 days trial, it only says that I have 12  |
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rwakeford
Joined: 30 Jul 2006
Posts: 27
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| Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 8:03 am Post subject: |
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Hm. Am I the only person with this particular problem? If so could anyone give me a pointer as to what to try to rectify it?
The trial time out doesn't apply any more as, despite the above glitch, I've bought it now. |
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dembrey
Joined: 01 Aug 2006
Posts: 9
Location: Dalton, UK
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| Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 5:52 pm Post subject: Removing Spam from the Server |
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| I am getting the same problem. |
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dembrey
Joined: 01 Aug 2006
Posts: 9
Location: Dalton, UK
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| Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 5:52 pm Post subject: Removing Spam from the Server |
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| I am getting the same problem. |
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vetaltm
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Joined: 05 Feb 2006
Posts: 748
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| Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 11:00 am Post subject: Re: Can't check on the server |
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| rwakeford wrote: | If I select either of the first two checking on server options in the Servers/Edit section, TB! checks only 20 messages and then sticks. If I restart the connection it checks the next 20 and so on until the end when it completely gets stuck and does nothing.
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The slowest part of filtering messages by headers is DNSBL checking. In fact the plug-in doesn't stuck actually, because in the moments you described it checks the sender IPs in messages over the remote DNSBLs. First of all, make sure you are running the latest version of the plug-in (1.6.2). The plug-in has two built-in methods for checking source IPs over the RBL services - slow and fast. But the fast method is implemented in AntispamSniper 1.6 and above.
The message headers are downloaded in batches by 20 items, then all IPs of the messages are checked using one of the methods. The plug-in uses fast method by default and tries to resolve the IPs using our remote HTTP service. If the service is unavailable for some reason, then it uses the slow method and resolve the IPs of each message by a number of DNS queries to remote DNSBLs. To know what is going on exactly with the filtering procedures you can open the Log window ("View log..." button on the first page of the configuration window).
If the plug-in uses the fast method, then it freezes the connection for a few seconds, waiting the remote service to process sender IPs over DNSBLs. When it comes the response, you will see in log the records of filtered messages with a reason "Source IP is blacklisted (IP=*.*.*.*)". There will be one query to remote service for each 20 messages.
The slower method is resolving IPs for the messages one by one. For each message the plug-in queries several remote DNSBL services, waits for the answers, and logs the results. One message can be checked several seconds because of the method limitations. But with this method you can see in log the progress of checking, because the records will appear for each separate message immediately after getting results from DNSBLs for all IPs of that message.
So, if the plug-in checks the headers too long, then most probably the second method of checking IPs over DNSBLs is used at the time. For getting the fast method to work you must check that TheBat is able to connect to antispamsniper.com, port 80 (HTTP).
| rwakeford wrote: | Even though it tells me that it's deleted, in the last case, 3 messages from the serverr (and they showed up on the log as being deleted), no messages were downloaded because of the final glitch.
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It seems I don't quite understand the situation. You said that 3 messages were marked in log as deleted. And no messages were downloaded after that. Where is the problem?
| rwakeford wrote: | | Oh yes, another little point. I installed it for the first time today and, instead of 30 days trial, it only says that I have 12 |
The protection system in plug-in doesn't like changing of the system time. Maybe you've changed the time with running TheBat (or changed the time after installing the plug-in). So it is possible that the trial has been truncated due to that reason. |
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rwakeford
Joined: 30 Jul 2006
Posts: 27
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| Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 11:36 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for your long reply and I'll answer in the order you wrote.
I am running version 1.6.2 and waited this time for the process to continue which took a little over a minute for each 20 messages. 14 messages were marked as deleted in the log, including one (fortunately not very important) which was marked as non spam.
However it is now 15 minutes since I started having selected filter first on sever and then on client and it's been hanging at 98% for the last 7 minutes with no sign of moving.
I can't close the connectiion centre and I can't abort the spam process either. I have had to use Task Manager to close it and restart, haveing re set Spam filtering to client side only.
| Quote: | | For getting the fast method to work you must check that TheBat is able to connect to antispamsniper.com, port 80 (HTTP). |
I'll maybe give that a go but surely that won't work if the first method doesn't finish properly
| Quote: | | It seems I don't quite understand the situation. You said that 3 messages were marked in log as deleted. And no messages were downloaded after that. Where is the problem? |
Because the 3 messages deleted were in the first batch of 20 before I closed the process. No messages were downloaded because, every time I try checking on the server, the process hangs at 98% and won't go any further.
I think I'll stick with client side checking anyway because I like to double check my Junk folder just in case.
| Quote: | | The protection system in plug-in doesn't like changing of the system time. Maybe you've changed the time with running TheBat (or changed the time after installing the plug-in). So it is possible that the trial has been truncated due to that reason. |
Haven't touched the time settings at all. It showed 12 days the moment I opened it after installing but, as I said, it's not problem because I've paid for it so am now registered.
Apart from this one problem it is a very impressive programme with only this one false positive so far.
By the way I'm running Win XP2 |
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vetaltm
Author
Joined: 05 Feb 2006
Posts: 748
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| Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 11:15 pm Post subject: |
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| rwakeford wrote: |
I am running version 1.6.2 and waited this time for the process to continue which took a little over a minute for each 20 messages.
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Obviously the plug-in uses a slow method in your case. You can either allow HTTP connections for TheBat and make the plug-in to use our remote service for faster checking DNSBL. Or you can reduce the number of selected DNSBL services in list. For example the following list of services is showing good results:
sbl-xbl.spamhaus.org
bl.spamcop.net
dnsbl.njabl.org
list.dnsbl.org
dnsbl.sorbs.net
map.spam-rbl.com
By default all services are selected in a list, available in DNSBL setting window (button DNSBL on Filtering page). Uncheck all services except the stated above and the performance of checking headers must improve.
| rwakeford wrote: |
14 messages were marked as deleted in the log, including one (fortunately not very important) which was marked as non spam.
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Unfortunatelly false positives are possible for DNSBL checking. Sometimes good IP addresses become blacklisted by mistake, e.g. when the whole networks are blocked because of several spammers. There is a parameter for DNSBL checking, named "Minimum hits required". The higher value is lessen the probability of filtering mistakes, because it requires IP to be blacklisted in larger number of DNSBL services to filter some message from this IP.
| rwakeford wrote: |
However it is now 15 minutes since I started having selected filter first on sever and then on client and it's been hanging at 98% for the last 7 minutes with no sign of moving.
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It seems that some DNSBL service has hung. I suggest you to reduce the number of selected DNSBL services as above, it should help to avoid such situations.
| rwakeford wrote: |
| Quote: | | For getting the fast method to work you must check that TheBat is able to connect to antispamsniper.com, port 80 (HTTP). |
I'll maybe give that a go but surely that won't work if the first method doesn't finish properly
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In fact, the fast method of checking DNSBL services using our HTTP service works much better. It was implemented because of the possible delays or even hang-ups due to long DNS request processing on the client. I suggest you to allow HTTP connections for TheBat and look at the results.
| rwakeford wrote: |
| Quote: | | It seems I don't quite understand the situation. You said that 3 messages were marked in log as deleted. And no messages were downloaded after that. Where is the problem? |
Because the 3 messages deleted were in the first batch of 20 before I closed the process. No messages were downloaded because, every time I try checking on the server, the process hangs at 98% and won't go any further.
I think I'll stick with client side checking anyway because I like to double check my Junk folder just in case.
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Even if you break the process of checking headers, the plug-in doesn't delete anything from the server, because it deletes the messages only in case of successful completing of the whole procedure.
| rwakeford wrote: |
| Quote: | | The protection system in plug-in doesn't like changing of the system time. Maybe you've changed the time with running TheBat (or changed the time after installing the plug-in). So it is possible that the trial has been truncated due to that reason. |
Haven't touched the time settings at all. It showed 12 days the moment I opened it after installing but, as I said, it's not problem because I've paid for it so am now registered.
Apart from this one problem it is a very impressive programme with only this one false positive so far.
By the way I'm running Win XP2 |
Unfortunatelly there was a bug in 1.6.2, truncating the trial period. Please, download the new version of the plug-in (1.6.3) where that bug is fixed. |
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rwakeford
Joined: 30 Jul 2006
Posts: 27
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| Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 12:09 am Post subject: |
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Hello,
| Quote: | | Or you can reduce the number of selected DNSBL services in list. For example the following list of services is showing good results: |
Having downloaded and installed the latest version, as you recommended, I see that only those DNSBL services you recommended are ticked by default, not all of them as with the other version.
Whilst writing this I'm trying to receive 130 messages using server side checking only. It has paused for over a minute and a half between each batch of 20 messages and has now been sitting, doing nothing, fo over 5 minutes at the 99% mark and the log says theat 20 messages have been deleted from the server.
I have now closed Antispamsniper and then had to kill TB! with Task Manager as it wouldn't respond. On reopening, sure enough, the log is empty of the messages that had supposedly been deleted from the server. I'm now back to client side checking!
| Quote: | | In fact, the fast method of checking DNSBL services using our HTTP service works much better. |
Sorry but I'm not sure how to do that. Could you give me a rough idea how I should put the settings into TB! please?
| Quote: | | Even if you break the process of checking headers, the plug-in doesn't delete anything from the server, because it deletes the messages only in case of successful completing of the whole procedure. |
OK, then I suggest that there's a small fault in the programme somewhere because The log said that 3 messages had been deleted and the pie chart showed it too. Surely that shouldn't happen if they haven't actually been removed when the programme fails to complete its operation, even if the log is cleared after closing and restarting TB!?
When I closed down the operation of the Spam programme before closing TB!, the log still showed the messages deleted from the server, even though the process had been stopped. They only disappeared on closing and restarting TB!
Thanks again for your help. |
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vetaltm
Author
Joined: 05 Feb 2006
Posts: 748
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| Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 7:16 pm Post subject: |
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| rwakeford wrote: | Hello,
| Quote: | | Or you can reduce the number of selected DNSBL services in list. For example the following list of services is showing good results: |
Having downloaded and installed the latest version, as you recommended, I see that only those DNSBL services you recommended are ticked by default, not all of them as with the other version.
Whilst writing this I'm trying to receive 130 messages using server side checking only. It has paused for over a minute and a half between each batch of 20 messages and has now been sitting, doing nothing, fo over 5 minutes at the 99% mark and the log says theat 20 messages have been deleted from the server.
I have now closed Antispamsniper and then had to kill TB! with Task Manager as it wouldn't respond. On reopening, sure enough, the log is empty of the messages that had supposedly been deleted from the server. I'm now back to client side checking!
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Please, try the new version 1.6.4.
Some bugs are fixed, which may be the cause of behavior you described. Also, checking DNSBLs must run faster, even if the slow method is used.
| rwakeford wrote: |
| Quote: | | In fact, the fast method of checking DNSBL services using our HTTP service works much better. |
Sorry but I'm not sure how to do that. Could you give me a rough idea how I should put the settings into TB! please?
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If you have a personal firewall turned on, then you can allow the access for TheBat.exe to HTTP port of antispamsniper.com (if it is denied).
| rwakeford wrote: | | Quote: | | Even if you break the process of checking headers, the plug-in doesn't delete anything from the server, because it deletes the messages only in case of successful completing of the whole procedure. |
OK, then I suggest that there's a small fault in the programme somewhere because The log said that 3 messages had been deleted and the pie chart showed it too. Surely that shouldn't happen if they haven't actually been removed when the programme fails to complete its operation, even if the log is cleared after closing and restarting TB!?
When I closed down the operation of the Spam programme before closing TB!, the log still showed the messages deleted from the server, even though the process had been stopped. They only disappeared on closing and restarting TB!
Thanks again for your help. |
Unfortunatelly, this may be a consequence of bugs fixed in 1.6.4. Sometimes the plug-in deleted the blacklisted messages without displaying the results of operation in log. Please, try the updated version. |
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rwakeford
Joined: 30 Jul 2006
Posts: 27
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| Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 10:45 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | Please, try the new version 1.6.4. |
Thanks, I've had a go with it.
| Quote: | | Some bugs are fixed, which may be the cause of behavior you described. Also, checking DNSBLs must run faster, even if the slow method is used. |
The checking certainly is a lot faster, down to about 5 seconds for each batch of 20 messages. Unfortunately it still hangs at the 99% mark and I have to kill TB! with Tast Manager again to get things working once more.
| Quote: | | If you have a personal firewall turned on, then you can allow the access for TheBat.exe to HTTP port of antispamsniper.com (if it is denied). |
Ah, I thought you meant there was somewhere in TB! to put that setting. That's why I was confused. My firewall (which is Outpost) has automatically added that setting. |
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vetaltm
Author
Joined: 05 Feb 2006
Posts: 748
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| Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2006 9:15 am Post subject: |
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| rwakeford wrote: |
The checking certainly is a lot faster, down to about 5 seconds for each batch of 20 messages. Unfortunately it still hangs at the 99% mark and I have to kill TB! with Tast Manager again to get things working once more.
Ah, I thought you meant there was somewhere in TB! to put that setting. That's why I was confused. My firewall (which is Outpost) has automatically added that setting. |
Still cannot reproduce that bug. Here are some suggestions for you to test:
- Outpost has the content filters for POP3 and HTTP connections. Their work may influence the filtering, so you can try to turn them off to see if its true.
- The plug-in is updating a file msgids.bin after processing all headers. May be it is broken due to unexpected shutdowns of email client and thereby causes hang-ups. Try to delete that file manually from the plug-in base directory. The file contains identifiers of the previously read messages. So if you have an option "leave messages on the server" turned on for some account, then the plug-in will recheck all messages on the server after deleting a file. |
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rwakeford
Joined: 30 Jul 2006
Posts: 27
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| Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2006 7:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | The plug-in is updating a file msgids.bin after processing all headers. May be it is broken due to unexpected shutdowns of email client and thereby causes hang-ups. |
That was the probelm. Thank you very much. The filtering worked fine and the programme closed with the mails being deleted directly from the server.
For the moment, though, I will still use just filtering on the client side as it's so much quicker and I have it set to delete messages with scores higher than 75 anyway. I'm glad that it works the other way too and thank you very much for taking the time to look at my problem.
Otherwise it's a terrific programme.
Richard |
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