Sendmail Message Organizer
The SIUC e-mail system includes a feature called the Sendmail Message Organizer. The Message Organizer allows users to customize their mailboxes in various ways. It will allow you to set up complex filters (both for spam control and other filtering), allow lists (you can add "trusted" senders to this list in order to bypass spam filtering), block lists (to block people from sending you mail based upon several criteria), automatic vacation response messages and forward your siu.edu mail to a different address.
To access the Message Organizer, go to the following URL: https://saluki-mail.siu.edu. Enter your Network ID and password in the appropriate fields to log into the Message Organizer Interface. When you access the above URL you will see the following screen, enter your Network ID and password in the fields provided.
After your Network ID and password are validated, you will be allowed access to the Message Organizer. Once you log in you will see your "Summary" page. The summary page simply gives you a brief overview of the activated settings on your account. It will show if you have your Vacation Notice or your Mail Forwarding activated. This page is the first page you see every time that you log into the Message Organizer.
Take note of the three selections across the top of the page in the blue field: Summary, Account Settings and Mail Processing. These are all different features that you will be able to view and/or customize to meet your e-mail needs. An important item to note is the "Help" link that is located on the right side of your screen just below the blue field. At any time that you need assistance, you can click this link and a help window will open based upon which screen you are on.
The account settings page show information regarding the status of your account. There are no configuration options available here at this time.
The mail processing feature will allow you total control over how the e-mail system processes and files incoming e-mail into your mailbox. You have seven different types of mail handling that you can configure on this screen. The seventh selection, View Filter Source, will allow you to view the script behind the filter that you have created.
By using the Message Organizer mail processing features, you are using what is know as "server-side" filters. What this means is that the filtering rules that you implement are carried out on the actual mail server. This allows you to create your mail filters in a single location and have it apply to all of the IMAP configured e-mail clients (Netscape, Eudora, Outlook, etc.) that you use.
If you are using a POP3 configured e-mail client (Netscape, Eudora, Outlook, etc.), you will still need to set up your mail filters on your e-mail client. Due to the nature of POP3 e-mail, you will not be able to take advantage of the mail filter capabilities of the Message Organizer.
When your e-mail client is configured to use the POP3 protocol, the client actually downloads the mail from your inbox on the mail server, and places all of the messages on your computer into what are know as local folders. There is no further interaction between your e-mail client and the mail server. IMAP protocol is slightly different, in that it actually uses the mail server as a storage point for your e-mail messages. When you use an IMAP client the mail and folders you are viewing are actually residing on the mail server itself. With POP3 this is not the case, the mail is residing on your computer's hard drive (after you download it).
If you are not sure whether your e-mail client is configured to use the POP3 or IMAP protocol you need to verify the settings in your e-mail client. For specific help checking and/or changing these settings, you can contact the Computer Support Center at 453-5155 or at infotech@siu.edu.
Advanced Filtering - If you have difficulty keeping track of incoming messages, you can use this use this feature to create filters that will organize your messages into specific folders that you create. You can add, delete, disable, enable and reorder your mail filters on this page. For detailed instructions on how advanced filtering works and to configure advanced filters, please refer to the blue "Help" link located on the right hand side of this screen above "Close Custom Options".
You can create advanced filters by clicking the "Add" button on the Advanced Filtering page. There are extensive options that you can select on this page. For full details click the "Help" link on your Message Organizer Screen.
After you click the "OK" button you are returned to the previous screen, and you can see your filter that you just created. If you wish to delete a filter, all that is needed is placing a check mark beside the filter you no longer wish to have and clicking the "Delete" button.
You also have the option of reordering your filters. The Message Organizer moves through your defined filters in numeric order (top to bottom). You may find it beneficial if you have some filters before other filters. You can change the location of a filter by using the blue up and down arrows next to the filter name, or you can simply change the number in the "Order" box and click the "Reorder" button.
Spam Handling - You can control whether a message is marked as spam by specifying a value for the Spam Confidence Threshold in the text field provided. Once a message is as marked as spam, you have several options for how to handle it. Every message that enters your inbox will be scanned by the Sendmail Anti-Spam Filter and assigned a score (from 0.00% to 100.00%) showing the likelihood that the message is Spam. Every message will have a hidden header inserted into the message (you can see this if you show full headers, it will be "X-Spam-Score: # %").
The current system default is to automatically move every Spam message with a score of 70% or higher into a folder called "Spam" that will be automatically generated in your Inbox. Every message in this "Spam" folder will be automatically removed once it reaches 30 days old. This is where you can adjust that setting. You can adjust the Spam Confidence Rating higher or lower, and you can redirect the message back into your Inbox, another folder of your choice, or even throw it away (discard the message) as soon as it comes in (not a recommended course of action because even the best Spam filter is not failsafe, and you may inadvertently throw away a message that you wish to keep).
Webmail users and IMAP client users will be able to see and access this "Spam" folder. POP3 client users will not be able to see this folder unless they log into Webmail (http://webmail.siu.edu) or use this interface (Message Organizer) to redirect all e-mail bound for the "Spam" folder back into their Inbox. If you are unsure if you use POP3 or an IMAP client this can be confirmed by looking at your Server Settings in your e-mail client.
POP3 users have a few choices on how to view the messages in their Spam folder. They can periodically log into Webmail and check their Spam folder, they can use the Message Organizer to automatically redirect all messages bound for the "Spam" folder into their Inbox, or they can change their e-mail client configuration to IMAP which will allow them to see the "Spam" folder in their client. You can contact the Computer Support Center by phone at 453-5155 or e-mail at infotech@siu.edu for assistance.
After you make any changes, be sure to click the "Apply" button to save those changes. Since the system wide default is to place any messages with a X-Spam-Score score of 70% or higher into a Spam folder, if you select "Do nothing" the system wide default will apply.
Allow-List - The Message Organizer provides a allow-list as a means for you to accept a message, that may be marked as Spam, based on a list of conditions that you apply. Every sender that you add to this list will be able to sent you a message without it being tagged with a Spam Confidence Rating. This will help ensure that certain e-mail messages (handy for bills, travel reservation systems, and any other legitimate e-mail that may be viewed as Spam) are delivered to your inbox rather than the Spam folder. To add a sender to your allow list simply click the "Add" button.
After you click the "Add" button you are presented with the following screen. In order to add a "trusted" e-mail to your list, simply select the "Match Field" (this is also customizable), the "Match Type" and the "Match Value". After you make these selections click the "OK" button. You will be returned to the previous screen and will see your newly added filter. The example says that any e-mail you receive from "spamcom.net" will not be assigned a Spam Confidence Rating and will always be allowed to enter your Inbox.
To delete an item from your list, simply select the filter you wish to delete and click "Delete". For more specific information regarding the Allow-List functions, please click the "Help" link on the Allow-List page.
Block-List - The Message Organizer also provides a block-list as a means for you to reject a message based on a list of conditions. It works much the same way as the Allow-List does, but actually prevents the e-mail from ever reaching you. This way if you wish to block e-mails from a certain source for any reason, you will never see any attempts to reach you.
Do this only if you are sure that you do not want messages from a particular source, because once you implement this filter that source will not be able to send you any messages. If you wish to add a block, simply click the "Add" button.
After you click the "Add" button you will be presented with the following screen. All that is needed to block an e-mail source is select the "Match Field" you wish to block from, select the "Match Type" and enter the "Match Value" in the text box below. After you make these entries, click the "OK" button. You will be returned to the previous screen, and your newly added item will show. The example below shows blocking all e-mail message to your Inbox from badspammer.net. The Block-List is effectively your own personal "Blacklist". It is handy to use when dealing with Spam messages that slip past the Sendmail Anti-Spam Filter.
To remove an item from your Block-List, select the item and click the "Delete" button.
Vacation Notice is a feature that automatically sends an email response when your inbox receives an email message. This feature can be useful when you are on trips or vacations and may be unable to access and respond to your email. You can select a time period (or always) that the vacation notice is sent out, and you can customize the message that is sent by editing the text in the Subject and Body in the below example.
The Sendmail Vacation Notifying feature is considered a "smart" notifying agent because it keep track of who has attempted to contact you over your scheduled vacation period. This way if a person sends you 5 e-mail messages over your vacation period, they will only receive one automated response.
After you make the appropriate changes, click the "Apply" button at the bottom of the page and your Vacation Notice will be set.
With the Message Organizer, active users can set and maintain their own mail forwarding options. Users who are no longer active (students who have graduated or other people who have left the university) will still have to request mail forwarding to be entered manually. These requests can be sent to postmaster@siu.edu.
When you forward mail, you have two options:
- You can forward messages to a specified account as well as having a copy placed in your mailbox. This option will place a copy of the message into your siu.edu
- You can forward messages without leaving a copy on your siu.edu mailbox. This option is handy for people who wish to forward their mail to another account and not have to worry about periodically checking their siu.edu mail.
The Message Organizer contains a comprehensive help section that will describe in detail the many different features and options that are possible. In order to access the help function, simply click the "Help" link in the upper right hand corner of the Message Organizer page that you are displaying. It will display information about the functions and features of the page that you are currently on.
In the example below, the "Help" link was clicked while the Advanced Filtering page was displayed. This results in a help section specifically for Advanced Filtering. If the "Help" link was clicked while you were on the Summary, or Identity pages, you would receive a help screen specifically for those pages.
