The Axigen messaging solution provides two main methods of integrating third party filters with the processing engine and message filtering. The scanning process is performed during the processing stage of the messages in both cases, after multiple SMTP checks, such as DNS, GeoIP, and SPF, are applied.
Axigen Direct Connectors for Third Party Scanners
Also known as Axigen direct connectors, these filters apply once the SPAM and malicious messages have already been thinned-out by the previous SMTP level filters. They provide the most performance-effective method of integration by closely communicating with the third party scanners installed on the system.
The scanners receive instructions from the Axigen messaging solution through these filters and once the scan is complete, provide the relevant results back to the server. Using the results, Axigen decides the fate of the messages, including dropping or accepting the message. These actions can be fully customized to fit the requirements of any email traffic regulations.
The Axigen messaging solution provides custom-built and tested connectors for the following list of scanners, reducing the configuration required for the integration process to a minimum:
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avast! for Linux/Unix Servers
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SpamAssassin
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Clam AntiVirus
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AVG AntiVirus Email Server Edition
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Commtouch
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Kaspersky AntiVirus & AntiSpam
Axigen Milter Integration for Third Party Scanners
The Milter integration method acts at the SMTP level and follows the same baseline functionalities as the direct integration method through the connectors. Though, a few differences exist between the two approaches, such as lower performance results and a broader compatibility with third party scanners for the Milter, as opposed to the direct integration.
The Milter is actually a protocol that was originally designed for open-source mail transfer agents, but is currently being adopted as the new standard in the industry by a large number of email-related software vendors. Through this standard approach, any scanner that supports the Milter can be integrated with the Axigen messaging solution. The result of this feature is an extensive list of scanners that can be integrated with it, thus expanding Aixgen's ability to fit the needs and requirements of the environment it's being deployed in.
The complete list of scanners supported and tested through the Milter integration method follows:
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avast! for Linux/Unix Servers
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SpamAssassin
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AntiVir UNIX MailGate
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Avira MailGate Suite (AV/AS)
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Clam AntiVirus
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Nod32 for Linux / BSD Mail Server
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F-PROT Antivirus for Linux x86 / BSD x86 Mail Servers
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Kaspersky AntiVirus for Mail Servers
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BitDefender Security for Mail Servers (AV/AS)
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Brightmail AntiSpam
In addition to the above-mentioned list, other scanners that support the standard can easily be integrated with Axigen. One of these, although not a scanning software in itself, is the MailArchiva email archiving and storing solution. Indeed, the Milter protocol does provide close to limitless integration, compatibility and interoperability between the mail server and third party, related, software packages.