[Mimedefang] Re: compare mimedefang to mailscanner

[Scott Silva]

But can you run multiple virus scanners with mimedefang?
How will that add to the startup costs of more than one virus scanner?
Some virus scanners don't have a socket interface that you can pipe into, and
some that do won't let you pipe between them. Multiple virus scanners help
quite substantially on many new viruses, as the time lag between detection and
signature update can be different between them.

I am currently running mimedefang for check_against_smtp_server and
mailscanner with spamassassin for virus scanning and spam. If I add a
supported virus scanner in mailscanner, I just have to add its name to the
config file and reload. How much code do I have to write in mimedefang to do
the same?
I wanted to do a trial of f-prot. Just installed the rpm for f-prot, added its
name to the config file, and now my system is scanning with 4 virus scanners.
Took 5 minutes of my valuable time. It took several hours getting mimedefang
going on just the smtp checks.

Sure, mimedefang is like a swiss army knife. In the right hands, it can do
almost everything. ...but I am no McGyver, so I can't save the world with just
a swiss army knife! I need more tools in my tool chest!

So to end this rant, use the tools you are comfortable with. Both work very
well, and you can do much with either one.

The only one that can tell you which is better is you, and your usage, skill
level, and time available.