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VSMTP32 Configuration: SMTP Server Settings

This window contains the VSMTP32 server settings.

  • SMTP Listening Port - This is the port number in which VSMTP32 is to listen for incoming connections. Default = 25.
  • Max. SMTP Connections - This is the maximum number of simultaneous SMTP connections. If this number is exceeded, then the new connections will be issued a control code telling them that the server is busy. Default = 10.
  • Maximum Message Size - This value controls what the largest message your BBS will receive. This also includes any file attachments that are incoming. Default = 2097152 (2MB).
  • Maximum Log Size - You can control how large the VSMTP32 log file will become before it is reset. This value is in bytes. Default = 2097152 (2MB).
  • Perform User Verification - If enabled, VSMTP32 will verify that the recipient of the incoming message is a valid account. If the account does not exist then the message will be rejected. Default = On.
  • Recipient Must Have Internet Flag - If enabled then the intended user account must have the user flag that is specified in networks.lst. If the account does not have the flag, then the message is rejected. Default = Off.
  • Automatically Add Users to HANDLES.UIP - If enabled then if the recipient is a valid account but the account is not configured in the HANDLES.UIP file, VSMTP32 will automatically create the entry. This entry is necessary for VADV to process the message. This should be enabled except for special situations. Default = On.
  • Filter Incoming Mail Using TWIT.LST - If enabled then the incoming messages' "From" and "Subject" headers will be checked for words and phrases contained in the VADV TWIT.LST file. If the headers fail the test, the message will be discarded. Note: If turned off, Internet mail processed by VADV will have it's "From" header checked using the same file. By enabling this option, you are stopping the message before it gets to the BBS and doing an additional filter on the subject line. Default = Off.
  • Allow Mail to User Numbers - If enabled then mail can be addressed using the user's account number in addition to their handle. Default = Off.
  • Allow EXPN Query - If enabled, VSMTP32 will respect the EXPN command and provide mailing list information. The EXPN command is used to retrieve the listing of members to a mailing list. VSMTP32 responds to this command with the listing of users and their email addresses. This can be used by spammers to gain a list of valid email addresses, so it is usually recommended to be disabled. Default = Off.
  • Allow VRFY Query - If enabled, VSMTP32 will respect the VRFY command and provide user information. The VRFY command is used to verify if a user account exists. VSMTP32 responds to this command with the user's handle and email address. This command is mandatory according to RFC 821. It is possible this command could be used by spammers to find legitimate email addresses, so it is usually recommended to be disabled. Default = On.
  • Enable SpamAssassin - You can have VSMTP32 utilize SpamAssassin to guard agains SPAM. SpamAssassin is a free application that uses various tests to determine if a email message is legit or not. To use SpamAssassin with VSMTP32, you need Perl installed as well as a Win32 compiled version of SpamAssassin 3.x. VSMTP32 will call upon spamassassin.bat and retrieve the results. You can use the header filters to filter out mail that is determined to be SPAM. For more information, visit the SpamAssassin Home. Default = Off.
  • Save Mail Marked as Spam - If enabled, any email that is detected by SpamAssassin to be Spam will be saved to the hard drive. This can be useful for debugging the SpamAssassin configuration or for external processing of Spam. The messages are saved in the \VA\TEMP\SPAM directory. This directory will be created automatically by VSMTP32. Default = Off.
  • SpamAssassin Directory - Set this field to the full path to the directory that contains spamassassin.exe. Default = "".
VSMTP32 Configuration: SMTP Client Settings

This window contains the VSMTP32 client settings.

  • Enable SMTP Client - If enabled, VSMTP32 will attempt to deliver outbound email to the configured SMTP server. Default = Off.
  • SMTP Server Hostname - This is the hostname to your ISP's SMTP server. VSMTP32 relays local outbound mail to this SMTP server for final delivery. Default = "".
  • SMTP Server Port - If your ISP uses a nonstandard port for their SMTP server, you can change it here. Default = 25.
  • Enable SMTP Authentication - If your ISP's SMTP server requires authentication, enable this. Enter your username and password in the appropriate fields. VSMTP32 tries to detect the available methods of authentication the server offers. It prefers CRAM-MD5 but will automatically switch to the more common (and insecure) LOGIN type if it is not available. Default = Off.
  • Enable POP3 Before SMTP - If your ISP requires that you perform a POP3 connection before allowing you to send outbound email, then enable this. Enter your ISP's POP3 server hostname as well as your username and password. Each time VSMTP32 performs an outbound connection, it will first connect to the POP3 server so the ISP allows the SMTP connection. Default = Off.
VSMTP32 Configuration: Miscellaneous Settings

This window contains miscellaneous settings.

  • Perform Daily Maintenance - If enabled then each night at midnight, VSMTP32 will rebuild the HANDLES.UIP file. It is highly recommended that you enabled this feature and only under certain situations should it be disabled. It is disabled by default to prevent the erasure of any custom HANDLES.UIP entries when VSMTP32 is installed. Default = On, Recommended = On.
  • Process Autoresponder Requests - If enabled, VSMTP32 will process any incoming autoresponder requests. If disabled, the BBS will handle it.
  • Autoresponder User No. - You should create a special user account on your BBS just for autoresponder requests. If you do not then these requests are sent to the SysOp account and can fill up this mailbox with unwanted mail. Set this entry to the user number of your autoresponder account. If you do not use the autoreponder or mailing lists then it is not necessary. Default = 1.
  • Enable File Requests (FREQ) - If enabled then anyone may email your system at the address SYSOP**F with the subject line being a filename. If the filename is found in a FREQable file area on your BBS, then VSMTP32 will reply to the sender with that file as an attachment. Default = Off.
  • Max. FREQ Filesize - This is the maximum filesize that VSMTP32 will send outbound via a file request. This value is in bytes. The maximum value is 10MB. Higher file sizes will cause delays during processing and may hinder the server's performance. Default = 2097152 (2MB).
  • Maintain Statistical Information - If enabled, VSMTP32 will save its statistics when it closes and remember them when reloaded. Default = On.
  • Save Window Position on Exit - If enabled then VSMTP32 will save its current window position when its window is closed. The next time it is loaded, it will resume at that position. Default = On.
  • Minimize if Closed - If enabled, VSMTP32 will minimize itself instead of exiting if the X button is pushed. Default = Off.
  • Minimize to System Tray - If enabled then when VSMTP32 is minimized it will remove itself from the taskbar and appear in the system tray. If disabled, VSMTP32 will always be found on the taskbar. Default = On.
  • Show Event Windows - If enabled then any windows created to perform a DOS task will be visible on the taskbar. This is generally a good idea incase the process gets hung, but it might also cause focus to be lost while using other programs. Default = Off.
VSMTP32 Configuration: Advanced Settings

This window contains advanced settings.

  • SMTP Server Timers - These are timeout values used by the SMTP server.
  • SMTP Client Timers - These are timeout values used by the SMTP client for outgoing email.
  • Process Cc: and Bcc: Headers - This will cause VSMTP32 to literally process all recpient headers and attempt to send the message to all local recipients. Only under the most rare conditions should this be enabled. Default = Off.
  • Max. Valid Commands - This value represents the number of error producing valid SMTP commands that can be performed before the session is terminated. Default = 15.
  • Max. Invalid Commands - This value represents the number of invalid/unknown commands that can be issued before the session is terminated. Default = 3.
  • DNSBL Cache Timeout - This is the number of seconds that will pass before an IP address is removed from the DNSBL cache. Default = 1800.
  • SpamAssassin Timeout - This is the number of seconds that VSMTP32 will wait for a result from SpamAssassin. Default = 300.
  • Max. Command Length - This is the maximum number of characters that a valid command may contain. If it exceeds this value, then an error code is sent back. Default = 512.
  • Max. RCPT Entries - This is the maximum number of recipients that can be declared in a single session. Default = 100.
Secondary Domains

If your BBS has more than one domain name, then you can configure each name with this option. Your main domain name should be entered in the Internet Configuration instead, but it doesn't hurt if it is configured here as well.

VADV Internet Configuration

This is the Internet Configuration for Virtual Advanced. It is the same form found in VADV32 and also found in VConfig. This must be setup for VSMTP32 to work properly. For more information, see the VADV documentation.

Autoresponder Configuration

Configure the autoresponder function of the BBS, which allows automated responses to be sent to those who email your BBS at a special address.

Mailing List Configuration

These forms allow you to configure multiple mailing lists for use with VADV. It creates the needed files used by VADV. Note: There seems to be a problem with VADV processing the mailing lists through the Internet. This was left in since it is a valid VADV feature but is basically useless.

Mail Forwarding

You can have VSMTP32 forward incoming email to another address using this feature. To forward to another local user account, just enter the user account's handle as the forwarding address. To forward to another Internet address or to another network address then the format is: username@address*network number. An example for a forwarding address is john@mybbs.com*9 or John Doe@1:1/1*4.

Mail Pass-Thru

This feature allows you to create a "pseudo" account. Email sent to this account would be accepted and passed onto the BBS for processing - even if the user account does not exist on the BBS or in the HANDLES.UIP file.

User Aliases

You can configure aliases for user accounts. This can be useful for having multiple email addresses for certain accounts.

Filter Exemptions

By using this feature you can specify certain accounts that are exempt to one or more of the filters (SpamAssassin, Subject Filter or Header Filter). Email that would be typically filtered would be allowed through to the user.

Header Filter

You can filter out incoming messages by a certain header field and its value. This is like a much more powerful TWIT filter. You tell it the header fields to search for and then what values to search in those fields. If it finds the value in that field, then the message is blocked. The filter is case insensitive.

Subject Filter

This searches the subject field for a particular word or phrase. It is just like the header filter above (actually the header filter can be set to do this exact thing). If it finds the value in the subject line then then message is blocked. This filter IS case sensitive.

TWIT.LST Filter

You can configure the VADV TWIT filter using this option. This filter is used when VADV processes Internet email or newsgroup posts. To use the TWIT filter, enter the email address you wish to filter out, or a word or phrase to filter out of newsgroup subjects.

Allow/Block IP Addresses

You can allow only certian IP addresses to connect to VSMTP32, or you can exclude certain IP addresses from connecting. This is useful for creating a private email system, or for keeping troublesome email servers from connecting.

Country Restrictions

You may restrict certain countries from connecting to your BBS. When a user connects, VSMTP32 will determine if the caller is from a blocked country by the connecting IP address.

Relay Databases (DNSBL)

If you enable the DNSBL (DNS Blackhole List) feature, then you can specify blackhole databases to query when an incoming connection is created. There are various blackhole databases available for use for different purposes. What it does is query the blackhole database for the IP address of the connecting server. If the IP address exists in the database then the connection is refused. If the IP is not present, then VSMTP32 allows the server to connect and deliver email. There are a few databases configured by default.

If caching is enabled then any IP addresses that are rejected are cached. This speeds up lookups and reduces the stress on the databases.

Spam Traps

Spam traps are bogus email addresses you specify in order to block mail servers sending out spam. For example if you set a spam trap of spam@example.com and your server receives a email sent to that address, then the IP address of the sending server will be added to the block list. Basically you are blocking any server that is intentionally sending mail to non-existant user accounts.

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