Background and Version Information

This document started as an effort by myself and several other participants on exim-users (exim-users@exim.org) to integrate SpamAssassin into exim to perform the scanning and tagging prior to delivery to the user. My initial goal was to continue using my filter rules (in exim's filter language) but still have the benefits of SA.

My system runs Debian GNU/Linux. In particular I use a mixture of ``testing'' and ``unstable''. In the below description exim v3.x and all spamassassin versions are from the debian packaging. Since exim v4.x was not available in the debian repository until recently the below references to exim4 refer to locally custom compiled installations.

The effort began with exim version 3.33 and spamassassin 1.5. Since then I upgraded my setup with exim version 3.34 and spamassassin versions 2.01 and 2.11.

After that point I upgraded to exim 4.01 and later to 4.04. With those versions of exim I used spamassassin 1.5, 2.01, 2.11 and 2.20.

As of July 2003 I was running exim version 4.05 and spamassassin 2.55 integrated using sa-exim 2.0. I used several releases of SA and sa-exim between ``before'' and ``then''. Now my mail infrastructure bears no resemblence to that described here, but I provide this document because some still find it useful.

Consequently:

1. The portions of this document describing the exim3 setup exists solely for historical reference. If you are using v3.x, then please upgrade ASAP! (This urging is specifically for debian users because debian ``stable'' (aka woody) is stuck at version 3.36. exim 4.00 was released and declared stable by Philip well over a year ago. Finally ``unstable'' (aka sid) has an exim4 package containing version 4.20.)

2. I have not tested any newer releases of either tool. If readers provide version-specific information for these setups then I will include that information here. Otherwise it is your responsibility to comprehend the principles of the methodology described and determine whether or not this method and implementation is compatible with newer releases of the relevant software.