Use this guide to assist in a fresh install of Message Sniffer with the MINIMI Plugin, or an upgrade to Message Sniffer V3.0.

Note: If you have Declude or MXGuard, this mechanism is not required. Instead, use the Installer's supported IMail w/ Declude or IMail w/MXGuard features. This will install Message Sniffer natively into those filtering systems.

How Do I Get Started?

1. Sign up for a 30-day FREE Trial. This will give you an authentication and license ID to download a production ready rulebase and updates FREE for 30 days. You will need the license and authentication in order to setup your SNF software. Our system will send you rulebase download instructions when your rulebase is ready, but the Installer will handle setting that up for you.
2. Download the SNF Client/Server Win* SNF Client/Server Win* Installer (from Downloads page).
3. Review the Installer tutorial, and have your trial SNF license ready.
4. Run the Installer and follow the SNF Install Tutorial for the Imail w/MINIMI Install option.
   • If you are upgrading to Message Sniffer Version 3 and were using MINIMI before, you may elect to install a fresh copy of MINIMI, or to reuse your old settings (if the Installer finds MINIMI tied into Imail already, a popup will ask you to install MINIMI again, or keep existing settings for MINIMI). See Step 2, Figure3 of the Installer Tutorial.
   • When prompted, as shown in Figure 9 of the Installer tutorial, use the free trial licenseID, and authentication. The Installer will download fresh rulebase and help set you up.
   • The Installer will need to restart the Imail delivery service.
5. When you have completed the Installer, you will have installed Message Sniffer in a folder of your choice, pulled down a rulebase, and setup MINIMI to recieve and return the Imail message flow. It will have installed SNFIMailShim.exe and its XML configuration file.
6. Review the documentation on configuring the snf_engine.xml file for your specific needs (Header Injection, Rulebase Downloads, GBUdb). The default gateway settings are to have Sniffer tag all messages, and pass everything through to the delivery spool. If you want to quarrantine, or drop messages at the gateway, use the SNFIMailShim.xml file to customize the delivery response based on what results Message Sniffer returns from its scan.

Some comments on chaining filters under IMail

Some external filters for IMail do not respect the chaining of delivery mechanisms. Imail delivers its messages with the delivery mechanism called smtp32.exe. Filters tie into Imail by receiving the message before smtp32.exe and handing it off when they are done (or not). When these tools install, they may take control of the SendName registry entry (see below) regardless if the target is IMail's default smtp32 or if it is some alternate program. Installing something that integrates with Imail on top of Message Sniffer w/MINIMI may break that chain.

Installing MS w/MINIMI onto an Imail system retains the chain of mail delivery by respecting whatever is in the SendName at its time of installation. Thus, it will hand off the message to the next filter/program in the chain of delivery by means of the delivery-program parameter in the SNFMailShim.xml file. At a minimum, MINIMI MUST hand it back to smtp32.exe.

Please email support@armresearch.com with any questions.

 

Technical Summary

Requires Basic Sniffer Install: Use the SNF_CS_Installer. Select IMail w/MINIMI Option. Complete the full system install which installs SNFClient, SNFServer, Curl, XYNTService and sets up the system to receive scan commands. Usual location will be: ~IMail\SNF, but it can be installed at the user's discretion. Refer to Installer tutorial to confirm settings for rulebase download if other than default (automatic is the default for Installer). Refer to SNF Documentation for info on setting custom header injection (requires edit of snf_engine.xml). Complete this tutorial on how to configure the settings to optimize your Sniffer's performance with IMail. Unique to Imail Config: Message Sniffer relies on a registry flag to accurately locate MINIMI on uninstall. (isMINIMIInstalled, MINIMIInstallFolder) Installs Shim Files. (MIMIMIreadme.txt, SNFIMailShim.exe, SNFIMailShim.xml) The Installer will replace the delivery mechanism IMail's SendName registry setting. It will record the original target. After the scan completes, MINIMI will hand off to the original filter or delivery mechanism. (- usually smtp32.exe) Uninstalling SNF will attempt to replace the old target back into the SendName registry entry unless it was changed from SNFIMailShim.exe! In this case, it will fail gracefully. In addition to installing Sniffer, the Installer will install the mail shim: Installing Mail Shim: Shuts down IMail's "IMail SMTP Server" service. Installer places the following files in Imail's registered "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Ipswitch\IMail\Global\TopDir" folder. MIMIMIreadme.txt SNFIMailShim.exe SNFIMailShim.xml Installer edits the directory paths in the SNFIMailShim.xml file to reflect the correct paths. Adjusts Imail's registry settings for: SendName (Takes the current SendName value as the delivery program value for SNFIMailShim.xml.) SendName (Writes the location of SNFIMailShim.exe as the current target for SendName.) Restarts the IMail delivery service ("IMail SMTP Server")