pmx-intro - Introduction to PureMessage
PureMessage is an email-filtering solution that works in conjunction with a mail transfer agent (Postfix, sendmail, or JSMS). Messages are filtered by a policy script containing tests and actions that are applied to message components. Actions can include message modification, delivery and/or quarantine. Users can be advised of their quarantined messages via digests, or they can use the End User Web Interface to release or discard quarantined messages. PureMessage can be administered via the command-line interface or the web-based Manager.
This document gives a brief overview of PureMessage. It presumes that PureMessage and a supported MTA are installed and functioning. If this is not the case, see the Getting Started Guide for information about installing PureMessage with a mail transfer agent (MTA) and configuring an MTA.
Once PureMessage and the MTA are installed, use the Milter service and the Quarantine Manager (described below) to run filters and manage quarantined messages. Refer to PureMessage Documentation for an overview of other sources of PureMessage information.
PureMessage consists of a series of services that are started and stopped using
the pmx program. The pmx
program supports a command set that applies
to all services. The following are examples of pmx sub-commands:
pmx start
pmx stop
pmx status
The programs for starting and stopping individual enabled services are located by default in /opt/pmx/etc/init.d. All of these services can be controlled by running the corresponding script directly (e.g. pmx-milter). Alternatively, all programs can be controlled on local or remote machines using pmx-service. Services are enabled and configured during the interactive PureMessage installation. The following services are available:
The default PureMessage Policy is contained in a Sieve script called
policy.siv (located in the etc directory beneath the PureMessage
installation directory). Sieve is a non-platform-specific language used to
create filters for email. Details of Sieve's use in the PureMessage Policy
script are found in pmx-policy. The pmx-policy man page also
contains a description of the pmx-policy
command, which provides an interface
to the PureMessage Policy engine.
The PureMessage Quarantine Manager is used to review, delete or forward messages that have been intercepted and quarantined by the policy engine. To run the Quarantine Manager, enter pmx-qman. Enter ``?'' at the Quarantine Manager prompt to display a quick reference.
Messages are quarantined according to the configuration of the PureMessage Policy. For example, policy rules can be configured to quarantine messages that contain suspicious attachments.
Lists of quarantined messages can be sent to the user in the form of quarantine digests. Users can then release messages from the quarantine by replying to the digest. Quarantine digests do not run by default. They must be manually configured and enabled. See pmx-qdigest for instructions on configuring and generating Quarantine Digests.
Depending on the PureMessage configuration, end users may also have the option of managing their own quarantined messages with the End User Web Interface (EUWI). Individual users can view and manage quarantined messages via the EUWI. The EUWI provides user-specific whitelists and blacklists, along with other options for viewing and managing email. The EUWI can be enabled during the interactive PureMessage installation.
The PureMessage Manager is a web-based message management system. PureMessage can be configured, controlled and maintained through this graphical interface.
The complete PureMessage documentation set (including the User Guide and the Manager Reference) is available in HTML format. Documentation for command-line programs is also available in perldoc and man format.
The perldoc
utility can be used to look up these documentation
files as well as to extract source notes from Perl packages and
binaries. For example, perldoc pmx
will extract the source notes
from the pmx
program.
By default, the man pages for the command-line programs are located in:
/opt/pmx/man/man1/
The PureMessage User Guide, in HTML format, is located in the html directory beneath the PureMessage installation directory. If you are using a graphical browser, open the file index.html. if you are using a text-based browser, open the file toc.html.
The PureMessage User Guide includes the quick-reference documents mentioned above (converted to HTML format). In addition, the User Guide discusses the components of PureMessage in detail. Configuration of the pmx server and configuration of the virus and spam filters are among the topics covered.
If you encounter a problem with PureMessage, or if PureMessage does not function as described in the documentation, contact technical support:
http://sophos.com/suppport
Please send comments and suggestions to puremessage-feedback@sophos.com
You can help us in our continuous efforts to improve the accuracy of our spam heuristics. Please let us know about any spam messages that are not caught by the filters, as well as legitimate messages that are misclassified as spam. Forward all misidentified items as attachments to:
http://sophos.com/companyinfo/contacting/
the pmx manpage, PerlMx, perl, sendmail, the pmx-license manpage
Copyright (C) 2000-2008 Sophos Group. All rights reserved. Sophos and PureMessage are trademarks of Sophos Plc and Sophos Group.