[Spambayes] users should share database

[Mag. Arno Schoblocher]

Thank you Jesse and Michael,

for clearifying the point that 

> ...there's no robust
> way to share a database among multiple processes.

So, I can use only personal settings for each user in his user profile which
is the standard setting. Let's see how big the databases will grow.

However, the documentation says that multiple user can share one database
(?) but this cannot work when all users save their personal settings to the
same file overwriting other user's settings. Or did I misunderstand
something? Maybe, each user can have its own - personal - network share,
with the only purpose to store the data NOT in the windows user profile.
Maybe my english is just too bad...

When user databases grow to big (for the windows user profile) then I will
simply add the redirection to a network share and move the files there.

Still, I would like to suggest that someone who knows about it adds a "how
to" to the docu for Windows Terminal Server users. 

For me, the installation (each user has his personal database in his
homedrive H:) on a Terminal Server would work like this (tested on Win2k Pro
Desktop!):

1) Cleanup and prepare Outlook: 

This step is necessary as running Outlook after the installation will bring
up the wizard where one should already have defined spam and ham. (I am not
using the default folders as my folders should have german names.)

Create a folder called "mySpam", move all available spam into that folder.
Cleanup all folders containing "ham" otherwise training Spambayes can  take
ages (I have mails of 4 years in my mailbox), if necessary create a folder
called "ham" and put in typical good mails for training. Create a folder for
unsure mail, like "UNSURE_Mail", it should be located close to the inbox so
that users do not forget to check it.

2) Install SpamBayes:

Log in as admin, run
change user /install

in a dos-box and install the programm, select to install the Outlook-Addin.
After that run in the dos box the following 

c:\path_to_spambayes...\outlook_addin_register.exe hkey_local_machine 

(I am not 100% sure if this must be done or not)
and check the spambayes event logs and run
 
change user /execute

Now one can add a file called default_configuration.ini to the SpamBayes
Application directory (\bin) with the following content to move all
databases to the users homedrive (outlook folder that will already exist for
everybody):

[General]
data_directory: H:\Microsoft\Outlook


3) Run Outlook as a User

This will bring up the wizard, use default settings for everything except
the folders "mySpam" for spam and "ham" for training SpamBayes. Have the
program check your inbox and put unsure mail into "UNSURE_Mail".

This will create the database and the personal ini-file in
H:\Microsoft\Outlook.

Any suggestions?

arno


> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> Von: spambayes-bounces at python.org 
> [mailto:spambayes-bounces at python.org] Im Auftrag von Jesse Pelton
> Gesendet: Mittwoch, 7. September 2005 18:00
> An: Mag. Arno Schoblocher; spambayes at python.org
> Betreff: Re: [Spambayes] users should share database
> 
> 
> As far as I know, SpamBayes does no contention management
> (locking) on its databases.  As a result, there's no robust
> way to share a database among multiple processes.  So I think 
> that even if you solve the current problem, you won't be able 
> to get this approach to work.  If you need to filter mail for 
> multiple users with a single database, you'll probably need 
> to set up server-side filtering, so only one process uses the 
> database.
> 
> Personally, I think the individualized nature of the database is one 
> of SpamBayes' greatest assets.  One man's ham is another's spam.  Even 
> if you get it working, using a single database to filter for multiple 
> users seems likely to provide a lower quality of filtering (from your 
> users' point of view) than individual databases would.
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: spambayes-bounces at python.org
> > [mailto:spambayes-bounces at python.org] On Behalf Of Mag. Arno 
> > Schoblocher
> > Sent: Wednesday, September 07, 2005 10:38 AM
> > To: spambayes at python.org
> > Subject: [Spambayes] users should share database
> > 
> > Hello,
> > 
> > I tested the outlook add-in twice now but I could not make it
> > work: I am
> > trying to have a central database for all users, however, it does 
> > not work because the user-based ini-file on the central network 
> > drive has always the
> > same name (eg. outlook.ini, or MS Exchange Settings.ini) for 
> > every user.
> > 
> > So, for one user the network share works, if another user starts he 
> > overwrites the existing "outlook.ini" file with his
> personal data also
> > named "outlook.ini" (eg. outlook folder names).
> > 
> > My problem behind is that I would like to know if I can install
> > Spambayes on a Windows 2000 SP4 Terminal Server running Outlook XP 
> > (Office XP), however,
> > I could not find any useful instruction for installation in 
> > readme-files and
> > the mail archives.
> > 
> > How do I install the Spambayes outlook addin with a central spam
> > database on a Win2k Terminal Server or Win2k Pro with multiple 
> > users? I would very much
> > appreciate if someone could add an article about how to 
> > install Spambayes on
> > a Windows multi user system (Win2k Pro or Win2k/2k3 server) 
> > additionally to
> > the existing documentation.
> > 
> > Maybe I am doing something wrong. I installed the software (with
> > change user /install on the TS), run
> > outlook_addin_register.exe hkey_local_machine
> > edit the ini-file to use the network share.
> > 
> > When starting Outlook the wizard comes up, however, everybody writes
> > to the same ini-file.
> > 
> > Regards
> > 
> > arno
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