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Web Interface Functionality

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=5802
Printed Date: 27 December 2024 at 1:08pm


Topic: Web Interface Functionality
Posted By: answerman
Subject: Web Interface Functionality
Date Posted: 22 September 2006 at 5:50pm
Searched through the forum, and couldn't find a simple answer, so...

I am thinking about installing Spam Filter on our server.  My company provides website hosting and email to our website design clients.  We are currently running Imail Server 8.15 with about 150 domains and about 1000 users on a Windows 2000 box.  While I have direct access to the server if I want to drive 30 miles (it's located at a network center in a different city) I usually admin the machine through Terminal Services.  From what I understand, I don't have this option with Spam Filter under my current configuration. 

So, how much functionality does the web interface have?  I haven't found any answers on the forum saying exactly what you can and cannot do with the web interface.  Assuming I can do what I want to, my plan would be to initially install and configure Spam Filter while I am at the physical location, but then maintain it via the web interface once it is set up and running.

Am I understanding this correctly?  I don't have a problem making the drive for the initial install and config, but I don't want to have to drive up there every time I want to make a config change.


Replies:
Posted By: LogSat
Date Posted: 22 September 2006 at 8:04pm
Answerman,

Please find below the info we provide in regards to this issue:
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Please note that the service does display a GUI on the server's screen, but if you are accessing a Windows 2000 server remotely using Terminal Services will not be able to display the GUI. This is because Terminal Services in Win2K is not able to display the server's physical console.

Looking at the physical server's screen, or using a product like PCAnywhere, DameWare, VNC etc that displays the actual screen will instead reveal the console.

Microsoft fixed this in Windows 2003, and with this version of the operating system Terminal Services instead does allow RDP to connect to the Console.

Some Terminal Services clients have a checkbox in their settings to connect to the console. In the XP Remote Desktop, Microsoft (in)conveniently decided to not make it available. In this case, to view the server's physical console (and if running Server 2003), you'll need to invoke Remote Desktop from the command line as follows to enable this:

mstsc -console

=============================

If you do have the DameWare utilities, they have a remote control option that allows you to remotely view the server's screen on the fly, by installing a remote-viewing service when you need to remote into the server, and removing the service when disconnecting. This prevents you from leaving any remote utility on the server when not using them.

Going back to your question about the web interface, it does allow to control several of SpamFilter settings via a web browser. However this web functionality is not used a lot by administrators, and as such support for it is likely to be dropped in the next release of SpamFilter.

Also please note that all of SpamFilter's settings are stored in text files. SpamFilter continuosly monitors these files, and if any changes are made to them, they new settings are automatically reloaded by SpamFilter within 60 seconds. There is practically never the need to restart SpamFilter to change a setting. You could make changes to these files remotely and SpamFilter will see them right away.


-------------
Roberto Franceschetti

http://www.logsat.com" rel="nofollow - LogSat Software

http://www.logsat.com/sfi-spam-filter.asp" rel="nofollow - Spam Filter ISP

Posted By: answerman
Date Posted: 23 September 2006 at 10:42pm
The text file method actually sounds promising.

Just looked at the DameWare site and the mini remote looks ok as well... anyone have any issues with it I should be aware of?

Not crazy about installing any sort of remote viewer, but if it's all text file based I can just open them up to make my changes as necessary... actually I prefer to do so rather than a GUI in a lot of cases.

I will install the trial this week and see how it goes.

Posted By: __M__
Date Posted: 26 September 2006 at 11:29am
answerman, we have several options to manage our install of SpamFilter.

I have an IP based KVM that allows me to take over the console, this is great but the KVM cost big $.

We also have a VPN setup and then we can use VNC to control the Server, this way we dont need to expose VNC to the outside world. I think this may be your best scenerio if you didn't want to explore the RDC options.

I have never really used the web interface of SPI, of late I have found myself just modifying the config text files by mapping a spamfilter\config folder on my own workstation. I simply moved all the .txt config files into a folder of it's own and then edited spamfilter.ini to reflect this new path. That way it keeps it all clean.

Enjoy!


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