SpamTestBuddy 0.95
Copyright (C) 2007 Jem E. Berkes
http://www.sysdesign.ca/

        This software may be used freely for personal, non-commercial use and
        educational use. It may not be re-distributed, re-sold, included in a
        commercial package or modified for redistribution without the author's
        permission. The user of the software assumes all risk associated with
        installation and use of this software. The author makes no guarantees
        of performance or fitness for a particular purpose. There is no warranty.

		http://www.pc-tools.net/unix/spamtestbuddy/


DESCRIPTION
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SpamTestBuddy is a simple, light-weight, multiple-input spam scoring tool.
It is standalone and can be used with simple procmail rules without root
access or daemons. Features built-in support for simple DNS checks
including DNSBL (DNS-based blocklist) queries, and can scan headers from
filters such as SpamProbe, QSF, DSPAM that you already use.

The configuration is flexible and easy to edit in a human readable file.
Different tests can add or remove from the total score.

(I am not trying to re-invent SpamAssassin. That is a very powerful piece
of software with all the features you need. It is also somewhat large and
is a greater challenge to install. SpamTestBuddy will just help you bring
together existing scores from filters you already use, with a few useful
extra tests thrown in. For an all-in-one solution, try SpamAssassin).


COMMON USES
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1) Combining more than one external filter:

	If you have a number of filters that output a numeric probability
	or score, you can combine them together using +TestHeaderFloat and
	make a decision on the total (floating point) score. Examples of
	filters which integrate seamlessly are SpamProbe, QSF, DSPAM, CRM114.
	
2) Querying DNSBL (DNS based blocklists, real time lists) or local IP files:

	Typically this is done by mail servers at the time of mail receipt.
	However, there are advantages to doing these "RBL" lookups later.
	SpamTestBuddy will let you query multiple real-time lists for fresh
	data on known spam sources, abusive networks, etc. You can combine
	the results with your other statistical body-reading filters. You
	can also use TestFileIP to look up the IP in a local text file,
	such as a custom whitelist or blacklist.

3) Reducing false positives from other filters:

	You can use SpamTestBuddy as a secondary filter to interpret
	existing scores differently. Alternatively, you can make a more
	conservative configuration by combining scores. This may be helpful
	for revisiting classification errors

4) Parsing the IP address of the sender

	The IP address of the SMTP server which relayed mail is always visible
	in the Received headers, but parsing and extracting the correct IP
	address is hard to do reliably with procmail recipes alone.
	SpamTestBuddy can pick out the correct address. The resulting IP
	address is conveniently displayed in the new X-SpamTestBuddy header,
	simplifying your procmail recipes. (See INSTALL for parsing example).


CONFIGURING
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See INSTALL for how to build and install.

See CONFIGURATION for explanation of all features with examples.

See CONFIG-SPAMPROBE for example .spamtestbuddy file to use with SpamProbe