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Quarantine database availability

Printed From: LogSat Software
Category: Spam Filter ISP
Forum Name: Spam Filter ISP Support
Forum Description: General support for Spam Filter ISP
URL: https://www.logsat.com/spamfilter/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=4852
Printed Date: 16 November 2025 at 1:38am


Topic: Quarantine database availability
Posted By: Guests
Subject: Quarantine database availability
Date Posted: 27 December 2004 at 10:41am

I was reading another thread about what happens if the quarantine database is not available during a save to quarantine operation.  However I never really understood how it finally ends up...

Question...if an email comes in that needs to be quarantined...and the quarantine database is not available at that time...we see an error in the log file...however what happens to the email...is it discarded or is it delivered to the recipients?

Terry


Replies:
Posted By: Desperado
Date Posted: 27 December 2004 at 1:24pm

Terry,

If I am wrong, LogSat support will correct me but, Here is what I believe happens.

If the Database server in down when SpamFilter first starts, it will not be able to quarantine mail that would have been blocked and they will be discarded.  If the database server goes down sometime after everything was running OK, it will queue for some time and then when the server comes back up, SpamFilter will reconnect and quarantine normally.

If your database server and spamfilter are on the same server, what you may try to do what I do:  My SpamFilter Service is set to manual and I have a scheduled task to run only at windows startup to run the following Perl Script:

sleep(60);
system("net start SpamFilter");

This will delay the startup of spamfilter to give the database server time to start.  You can also set the database as a "dependant" service in the registry database but I found that to be less than reliable for some reason.

Dan S.

Posted By: Terry
Date Posted: 27 December 2004 at 1:29pm
My quarantine database is on a different server that cycles at times different from the spam filter server.  When the database goes down I see errors in the spam filter logs but just want to understand what happens to the message that would have been quarantined? 

Posted By: LogSat
Date Posted: 27 December 2004 at 10:07pm
Terry,

Dan, AKA Ken Jennings, is absolutely correct.

Let me go a bit in detail as to what happens in these scenarios.

Case 1. If the database is not available when SpamFilter starts, then SpamFilter will assume that there is no quarantine database period, and will continue to work as if no database is configured. Without a database, SpamFilter will continue to work as when it is present, with the exception that blocked emails will not be quarantined. Good "clean" emails will be delivered to the recipients. The bayesian filter will continue to work and "learn" normally.

Case 2. The database is available and SpamFilter is operating normally, quarantining spam. At some point the database is taken offline. In this case, SpamFilter will work as above, blocking spam emails as usual, but discarding the spam as it's not able to save them in the database. Good emails will be delivered to the recipients. SpamFilter continuosly polls the database every few seconds, and as soon as it's back online it will automatically resume saving quarantined emails to it, starting from the second it comes back online.

Roberto F. LogSat Software


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