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The goal of sa-update is to download new configuration files (rules, scores, etc,) so that SpamAssassin will use them to better catch spam and/or to avoid catching ham messages. The main reason to use sa-update is that the old method of disseminating rules (, releasing a new version SpamAssassin release) , is a lengthy process that can take many months. Spam is rapidly changing, and new rules are often written in response. With sa-update, those rules can quickly (potentially within minutes) be distributed and the new spam caught.

Simply put, sa-update allows rules to be distributed as they are developed, while full SpamAssassin releases can focus on bug fixes and new features.

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--updatedir <path>:: sa-update by default places updates in the /var/lib/spamassassin/<spamassassin version> directory. If updates should go into a different directory, specify it via this option.

--channel <channel>:: sa-update by default only uses the updates.spamassassin.org channel for updates. If other channels should be used, specify it with this option. For multiple channels, specify this option multiple times. ie:

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option to disable the use of GPG. Note: By using the --gpgkey or --gpgkeyfile options as shown below, --gpg is automatically enabled.

--gpghomedir <path>:: sa-update tries to keep its keys separate from the user's keys by using a different directory for the keyrings (passed to gpg via its --homedir option). By default, the location is /etc/mail/spamassassin/sa-update-keys. If a different location is desired, use this option to specify it.

--gpgkey <key id>:: Specify which GPG key ids should be trusted to sign update packages. If there are multiple keys, use this option multiple times to list them. Generally it's safer to specify the whole key fingerprint, but it is more common to see simply the last 8 hex digits used. ie:

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$ rm -f gpgkeys ; touch gpgkeys
$ echo 26C900A46DD40CD5AD24F6D7DEE01987265FA05B >> gpgkeys
$ echo 5244EC45 >> gpgkeys
$ sa-update --gpgkeyfile gpgkeys

Other

  -D, --debug \[area=n,...\]::	Show debugging information.  This can be useful just to see what sa-update is doing, but is also useful to debug problems, etc.  This option takes the same optional parameter (areas) as the other standard [SpamAssassin] tools.

-V, --version:: Display which version of sa-update is installed. sa-update is versioned by Subversion revision number as opposed to being tied to a specific [SpamAssassin] version.

-h, --help:: Print usage message.

More information is available via the POD/man page for sa-update.

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To perform updates without attempting to put the files into the system-wide location (either for users or to test, etc,) use the --updatedir option to aim at a different directory for which to put the updates.

Additonal Notes

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/ FAQ

• Currently, for 3.1.1 and 3.2.0, to use any channel for updates requires that updates.spamassassin.org also be used. This is because once the update directory exists, the SpamAssassin modules expect to find all rules in that directory.
  Can plugins be distributed via updates/channels?
  

  indent
  \\ From a technical standpoint, updates can contain plugins. However, the default channel, updates.spamassassin.org, will not publish plugins using this method at this time since people are likely not ready to accept automatic code updates. \\

  
  After sa-update completes, do I have to move the files somewhere for them to be used?
  

  indent
  \\ No. By default, sa-update and the [SpamAssassin] modules use the same location for updates. This means that after a successful update run, the new rules are available for use. As usual, if using spamd, a restart is required for the new rules to be read in and enabled. \\

  
  

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Publishing channels for sa-update

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