Note: This page is under construction and shouldn't be considered "complete". If there are any questions, etc, please feel free to contact the users at spamassassin.apache.org list for more information.
Why sa-update?
The goal of sa-update is to download new configuration files (rules, scores, etc,) so that SpamAssassin will use them to better catch spam and/or to avoid catching ham messages. The main reason to use sa-update is that the old method of disseminating rules (a new SpamAssassin release) is a lengthy process that can take months. Spam is rapidly changing, and new rules are often written in response. With sa-update, those rules can quickly (potentially within minutes) be distributed and the new spam caught. sa-update allows rules to be distributed as they are developed, while full SpamAssassin releases can focus on bug fixes and new features.
Channels
sa-update commandline
Examples
sa-update && service spamassassin restart
This is potentially the most simple example of using sa-update. It will see if an update is available, and download the update and lint-test it as necessary. If there was an update and no problems were detected, sa-update returns 0 and the
service spamassassin restart
command is run (used on Linux machines to restart the spamassassin service (spamd)).
Additonal Notes
- From a technical standpoint, updates can also contain plugins. However, the default channel, updates.spamassassin.org, will not publish plugins using this method at this time.
- Currently, for 3.1.1 and 3.2.0, to use any channel for updates requires that updates.spamassassin.org also be used.