Frequently Asked Questions
Anti-Spam Filter Setup Guide | DoIT

System Requirements

What are the minimum system requirements to use Anti-spam technology on my Personal Computer?
None. It is a network-based system that requires no additional processing on personal computers.

Will it work with both Mac’s & PC’s?
Yes. Although PC users will have the ease of classifying spam from their outlook tool bar using an outlook plug-in while MAC users will always have to use the web interface.

Compatibility

With the new system am I required to do anything?
No. If you don’t get a lot of spam, you can leave the default settings; is spam is a big issue you might want to fine-tune the system.

Will this new RU system work in conjunction with my current desktop spam system?
Absolutely. RU’s anti-spam system will work in conjunction with any desktop spam filtering installed. It will not interfere with or create any conflicts.

Will I need to reconfigure my desktop anti-spam system to work with RU’s system?
No. There will be no reconfiguration needed but this could vary based on an individual’s software & complexity of configuration.

What are the advantages of using RU’s system over desktop system?
RU’s system is an enterprise system and does spam filtering before an e-mail reaches the desktop while the desktop system does the filtering once the e-mail has been downloaded onto a user’s machine. This obviously is not the optimal way of addressing spam as it has already been downloaded & processed by your e-mail client.

Outlook Plug-in

What is the MS Outlook Plug-in?
The Outlook Plug-in is an add-on component for the Windows versions of Outlook. It requires Windows 98/2000/NT/XP running any version of Outlook client. The plug-in allows a user to classify messages as spam or not-spam right from their desktop. This classification performs Bayesian learning and results in higher accuracy for the Spam Firewall.

Where can I get the MS Outlook Plug-in from?
You can download the plug-in from
1) http://antispam.roosevelt.edu ,
2) Your personalized spam website’s main page

How do I use the plug-in?

Once installed, the Plug-in makes itself available to the
user through the toolbar inside MS Outlook.

Two icons are provided that perform the necessary classification functionality.

A red envelope to classify messages as spam, and a green envelope to classify messages as not-spam.

To use the plug-in, select one or more items from the message window and click on the spam/not-spam icon to submit the messages to the Spam Firewall for classification.

For convenience, the toolbar icons are also provided when a mail message is opened in a new window for viewing. If desired, the message can be classified immediately from that window.

Also note, Bayesian learning is only effective when the differences between spam and not-spam are known to the system. Therefore it is important to make sure that both types of messages are classified from user desktops. This plug-in is designed to make that classification process as easy as possible. However, it is up to each user to make sure the items they classify from the plug-in are really considered spam or not-spam, as it will affect the scoring of future messages coming onto the system for them.

Whitelist/Blacklist

What is a Whitelist?
To place an e-mail address or domain on a list of items that is deemed spam- or virus-free.

What is a Blacklist?
Generally, a blacklist is a list of people or things that have incurred disapproval or suspicion or are to be boycotted or otherwise penalized. Related to e-mail, blacklisted IP addresses will not be allowed to send mail to someone trusting the blacklist. Blacklisted e-mail addresses will not be allowed to send mail to a user or organization

Is categorizing emails as spam/not-spam the same as whitelist/blacklist?
No. Classifying your emails using the outlook plug-in (red/green envelop button) or using the web interface is not same as whitelist/blacklist. Whitelist/blacklist data is based on source e-mail address or domain while classification data from the spam/not-spam marking is used in Bayesian filtering which is based on a more composite rating that relies on the content of the overall e-mail message.

What is Bayesian filtering/learning?
Click here for answer

Username/Password

Can I access the spam website from home?
Yes. The web address is http://antispam.roosevelt.edu

Is my outlook & spam website default password the same?
No they are different. After the initially login to the website you can change the password to be the same as your outlook password.

Can I use the same username & password that I use for my e-mail to logon to the RU Anti-spam website?
No. Not at this time, although we are looking into single sign on initiative that will enable that in the future.

What is my username/password for the spam website?
The username is your FULL e-mail address (for example jdoe@roosevelt.edu) and your password is the one that was emailed to you. If you don’t have a password you can put your e-mail address in the username box & click on “Create new password” button on the website. A new password will be emailed to you.

How do I change my spam website password?
Once you have logged in click on “Preferences” tab at the top & then click security tab to change your password. For detailed info look at the Step-by-Step Guide to Setting up my Anti-spam Filter.

I forgot my password – how do I get a new password?

1) Go to http://antispam.roosevelt.edu
2) Under username – put in your full e-mail address (ex. jdoe@roosevelt.edu)
3) Click on “Create New Password” button
4) You will receive your new password in e-mail. Make sure to change it.

Bayesian Learning

Bayesian Learning constitutes a probabilistic view of learning, based on Bayes Theorem. The underlying assumption is, that there is a set of hypotheses, each having a certain probability of being correct. Receiving more information changes the probabilities from a learner's point of view. For instance an observation might contradict a hypothesis, or strengthen the belief in it. The aim in this setting is to be able to find a hypothesis with highest probability of being correct, given a specific set of data / piece of information. The more emails are classified (spam & not spam) the more accurate spam scoring becomes.

Bulk/Quarantine e-mail

What is a quarantined e-mail?
A SPAM e-mail, which has been put “on-hold”. A quarantined e-mail is placed in your quarantine inbox on the anti-spam firewall, which can be seen as a “temporary detention center”. It is a place the unit utilizes to detain certain “suspicious” e-mail, and provide you, the end user, with the last word as to deliver it, white list it, or delete it

What e-mail is classified as Bulk?
E-mail that is likely spam but could be part of some subscription service (Usenet groups, bulletin boards, etc) that a user has subscribed to is marked bulk with [BULK] added in front of the subject line.

Can Bulk e-mail be reclassified?
Yes. Each user has the freedom to set her own classification scheme.

What e-mail is classified as Quarantine?
E-mail that is most likely spam but has a minimal chance of being a legitimate e-mail is classified as quarantine.

Can quarantine e-mail be reclassified?
Yes. But we recommend NOT doing it unless absolutely necessary.

Can I disable quarantine e-mail & have all emails delivered to my mailbox?
Yes. You can do so from your spam website under Quarantine Enable/Disable tab but we recommend NOT doing it.

Enable/Disable SPAM filtering

Is spam filtering enabled for all RU users by default?
Yes. We want to increase e-mail productivity for all and make RU spam free!

Am I required to make changes to my spam settings?
No. Default spam settings configured for all users are sufficient for moderate e-mail users but if you have major spam issues we recommend fine tuning the system to your liking by using outlook plug-in or using the web interface.

Can I choose to disable spam filtering & receive all emails in my inbox?
Yes. You can do so from your spam website under Spam filter Enable/Disable tab but we strongly recommend AGAINST it.

Multiple User/e-mail Accounts

I have multiple user/e-mail accounts? Will my classification on my primary e-mail account be applied to all my other e-mail accounts?
No. Each e-mail account will have its own spam & classification settings.

Can I consolidate the spam settings for my multiple accounts?
No. Although you can leave everything to default across the board.

Misc.

I have a question that is not on the FAQ. Where do I get more help?
As always feel free to contact the helpdesk either by emailing them at helpdesk@roosevelt.edu or dialing x6460 on campus or 312-341-6460 from off campus.