Backing up, batch training, and monitoring the Bayesian databases
The User tab lets you train, back up, restore, and reset the global and per-domain Bayesian databases. It also lets you view a summary of the number of email messages that have been used to train each Bayesian database.
| You can alternatively train Bayesian databases by forwarding spam and non-spam email to Bayesian control email addresses. For more information, see “Training the Bayesian databases”. |
| You can alternatively back up, restore, and reset all Bayesian databases at once. For more information, see “Backup and restore”. |
To access this part of the web UI, your administrator account’s access profile must have Read or Read-Write permission to the Policy category.
| Domain administrators can access the global Bayesian database, and therefore could affect domains other than their own. If you do not want to permit this, do not provide Read-Write permission to the Policy category in domain administrators’ access profile. |
To individually train, view and manage Bayesian databases
1. Go to AntiSpam > Bayesian > User.
2. Select the type of the Bayesian database:
• For a per-domain Bayesian database, from Select a domain, select the name of the protected domain, such as example.com.
The Summary area displays the total number of email messages that the Bayesian database has learned as spam or not spam.
3. For any level of Bayesian database, select an operation:
To train a Bayesian database using mailbox files
Uploading mailbox files trains a Bayesian database with many email messages at once, which is especially useful for initial training of the Bayesian database until it reaches maturity. Because this method appends to the Bayesian database rather than overwriting, you may also perform this procedure periodically with new samples of spam and non-spam email for batch maintenance training.
| If you have configured the FortiMail unit for email archiving, you can make mailbox files from archived email and spam. For details, see “Managing archived email”. |
1. Go to AntiSpam > Bayesian > User.
2. Select the type of the Bayesian database that you want to train.
• For the global Bayesian database, from Select a domain, select System.
• For a per-domain Bayesian database, from Select a domain, select the name of the protected domain, such as example.com.
3. In the Operation area, click the link appropriate to the type that you selected in the previous step, either:
• Train global Bayesian database with mbox files
• Train group Bayesian database with mbox files
A pop-up window appears enabling you to specify which mailbox files to upload.
4. In the Innocent mailbox field, click Browse, then select a mailbox file containing email that is not spam.
5. In the Spam mailbox field, click Browse, then select a mailbox file containing email that is spam.
For best results, the mailbox file should contain a representative sample of spam for the specific FortiMail unit, protected domain, or email user.
6. Click OK.
Your management computer uploads the file to the FortiMail unit to train the database, and the pop-up window closes. Time required varies by the size of the file and the speed of your network connection. To update the training summary display in the Summary area with the new number of learned spam and non-spam messages, refresh the page by selecting the tab.
To back up a Bayesian database
1. Go to AntiSpam > Bayesian > User.
2. Select the type of the Bayesian database that you want to train.
• For the global Bayesian database, from Select a domain, select System.
• For a per-domain Bayesian database, from Select a domain, select the name of the protected domain, such as example.com.
3. In the Operation area, click the link appropriate to the type that you selected in the previous step, either:
• Backup global Bayesian database
• Backup group Bayesian database
A pop-up window appears enabling you to download the database backup file.
4. Select a location in which to save the database backup file and save it.
The Bayesian database backup file is downloaded to your management computer. Time required varies by the size of the file and the speed of your network connection.
To restore a Bayesian database
| Back up the Bayesian database before beginning this procedure. Restoring a Bayesian database replaces all training data stored in the database. For more information on backing up Bayesian database files, see “To back up a Bayesian database” or “Backup and restore”. |
1. Go to AntiSpam > Bayesian > User.
2. Select the type of the Bayesian database that you want to train.
• For the global Bayesian database, from Select a domain, select System.
• For a per-domain Bayesian database, from Select a domain, select the name of the protected domain, such as example.com.
3. In the Operation area, click the link appropriate to the type that you selected in the previous step, either:
• Restore global Bayesian database
• Restore group Bayesian database
A pop-up window appears enabling you to upload a database backup file.
4. Click Browse to locate and select the Bayesian database backup file, then click OK.
5. Click OK.
The Bayesian database backup file is uploaded from your management computer, and a success message appears. Time required varies by the size of the file and the speed of your network connection.
If a database operation error message appears, you can attempt to repair database errors. For more information, see
“Backup and restore”.
To reset a Bayesian database
| Back up the Bayesian database before beginning this procedure. Resetting a Bayesian database deletes all training data stored in the database. For more information on backing up Bayesian database files, see “To back up a Bayesian database” or “Backup and restore”. |
1. Go to AntiSpam > Bayesian > User.
2. Select the type of the Bayesian database that you want to train.
• For the global Bayesian database, from Select a domain, select System.
• For a per-domain Bayesian database, from Select a domain, select the name of the protected domain, such as example.com.
3. In the Operation area, click the link appropriate to the type that you selected in the previous step, either:
• Reset global Bayesian database
• Reset group Bayesian database
A pop-up window appears asking for confirmation.
4. Click Yes.
A status message notifies you that the FortiMail unit has emptied the contents of the Bayesian database.