[ILUG] [Q] `sa-learn --no-sync': what does it (not?) do, and is `--sync' then needed?

[Brian Foster]

  | From: jm at jmason.org (Justin Mason)
  | Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2007 09:45:27 +0100
  | 
  | Brian Foster writes:
  | >  I have just revamped my spam-filtering techniques
  | >  to include the usage of SpamAssassin (v3.1.8).
  | >  the Bayesian filter was trained with c.40,000 of
  | >  the spams I've received, and with c.20,000 hams;
  | >  both the hams and spams cover the last c.5 years.
  | >  the training was done in `--local' mode (i.e., no
  | >  internet access).
  | 
  | Wow, that's quite a lot!  I'd suggest that it'd be fine
  | (and faster) with just the most recent 1000 or so.

 well, the learning is all done now.  yer right, the learning
 did take a long long time.  (so what?  seti at home is the only
 user overnight: the learning time wasn't an issue.)

 the spam/ham-checking of incoming e-mail seems quite fast,
 both when `--local' or when not-`--local' with a down net;
 I haven't (yet) tried in my nominal net-up situation.

 so unless yer telling me the checking will be more accurate
 with a smaller Bayesian sample, I'll continue to use what I
 now have.

  | >[ ... ] (possibly relevant here, spamd(1) is
  | >  currently being run `--local' (this could, perhaps,
  | >  be changed?).)
  | 
  | Yep, definitely change this -- unfortunately spam has evolved to really
  | require it.  Allowing network lookups will have a much greater
  | effect on accuracy than training will.

 changed (but as of when I write this, not yet tested with
 an accessible (up) network).  thanks for the hint!

  |[ ... ]
  | --no-sync will write changes to a journal; you do, then, need
  | to run --sync later to synchronise the journal to the DB.
  | If you don't run --sync, the changes will not be reflected
  | in your scan results.

 ah.  Ok, now I (mostly) grok.  but two follow-ups:

  1st, is the journal written to only by `sa-learn',
      or does (e.g.) the `spamd' autolearning also
      write to the journal?

  2nd, is `--sync' the only way of synchronising?

 perhaps I can teach my fingers to do an `sa-learn --sync'
 after a mail-reading session; or perhaps a daily(?) cron
 job in the middle of night or something ...... ?

  | >  and b.t.w., how safe is it to interrupt (^C) or
  | >  suspend (^Z) an überlong `sa-learn --spam'?
  | 
  | Both are safe -- just don't "kill -9"  [ ... ]

 I *never* `kill -9' except as a next-to-last resort
 (the last resort being a reboot).   I usually try
 `kill -TERM' (`kill -15') first, and if that does
 not do it, then try various other things (depending
 on circumstances) before those last-resorts.

 again, many thanks for the help & advice.
cheers!
	-blf-
-- 
Experienced (>25 yrs) kernel/software Eng: | Brian Foster   Montpellier,
 • Unix, embedded, &tc;  • Linux;  • doc;  | blf at utvinternet.ie   FRANCE
 • IDL, automated testing, process, &tc.   |  Stop E$$o (ExxonMobile)!
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