FCP FortiMail key terms

A FortiMail operating mode in which the device relays mail between external senders and an internal mail server, filtering spam, viruses, and content without hosting user mailboxes itself.

A FortiMail operating mode where the appliance stores user mailboxes and delivers mail directly, acting as the final destination mail server rather than only a relay.

A FortiMail deployment in which the device sits inline at layer 2 and forwards traffic without changing IP addressing, typically used to filter SMTP flows without altering the existing mail topology.

A FortiMail policy that matches incoming SMTP connections by sender or recipient IP, authentication state, or TLS requirement, and decides whether the session is accepted, rejected, or relayed.

A domain object in FortiMail that defines which recipient addresses the appliance is responsible for filtering and delivering, along with its mail server routing and user accounts.

A FortiMail feature that queries the destination mail server or local user list to confirm a recipient address exists before accepting a message, letting the device reject unknown recipients early.

The FortiMail configuration that determines which next-hop mail server or relay receives messages for a given recipient domain, including fallback and per-domain overrides.

An upstream SMTP server to which FortiMail forwards outbound or relayed mail, commonly used for smart-host delivery through an ISP or cloud mail service.

Inspection of mail sent from internal users to external recipients, applying virus, content, and data loss rules to prevent malware propagation and sensitive data leakage.

A reusable FortiMail object bundling spam detection settings such as heuristics, DNSBL checks, Bayesian scoring, and greylisting, which is then applied through a policy.

A DNS-based blocklist lookup in which FortiMail queries a public list to see whether the connecting client IP is known to have sent spam, adding to the message's spam score.

A technique that temporarily defers mail from an unfamiliar sender, IP, and recipient triplet, since legitimate mail servers retry while many spam senders do not.

A statistical classifier in FortiMail that learns from previously classified spam and legitimate mail to score new messages by the probability their word patterns indicate spam.

A numeric value FortiMail accumulates from antispam techniques; thresholds configured in the antispam profile determine whether a message is tagged, quarantined, or rejected.

A holding area for messages classified as spam, where users or administrators can review, release, or delete them instead of delivering immediately to the inbox.

A per-user quarantine area that end users access through a web interface or digest email to review and release their own held messages without administrator involvement.

A periodic summary email listing messages held in a user's quarantine, often including links to release or delete them, reducing administrative overhead.

A FortiMail object configuring which virus engines and scanning options apply, such as heuristic scanning, file-type blocking, and actions taken on infected messages.

A storage area where FortiMail places messages found to contain malware, isolating them so recipients never receive the infected attachment while administrators can investigate.

A FortiMail object that defines content filtering rules matching message headers, bodies, or attachments, with actions such as tag, quarantine, discard, or replace.

A FortiMail object holding lists of words or patterns that content and DLP rules can match against, allowing reusable detection of profanity, keywords, or sensitive identifiers.

FortiMail inspection that detects sensitive information such as credit card numbers or personal identifiers in outbound mail and blocks, quarantines, or encrypts the message.

The process by which a mail client or server proves its identity to FortiMail using credentials, typically required for outbound relay to prevent unauthorized use.

A FortiMail configuration that defines how the appliance connects to an external directory to verify recipients, authenticate users, or look up group membership for policies.

Identity-based encryption in FortiMail, where messages are encrypted for a recipient's email address and the recipient retrieves a decryption key after authenticating to a secure portal.

A standard for public-key encryption and signing of email messages, which FortiMail can apply to messages using certificates stored for users or domains.

Transport Layer Security used to encrypt SMTP sessions between FortiMail and other mail servers or clients, often enforced per access control rule or per domain.

A web interface where external recipients authenticate to read encrypted messages and, depending on configuration, reply securely or download attachments.

A FortiMail rule that ties together sender and recipient patterns, authentication requirements, and profiles to determine how a message is scanned and handled.

An attempt to discover valid email addresses by sending mail to many guessed recipients and observing which are accepted, mitigated by recipient verification and rate limiting.

A FortiMail deployment of primary and secondary units that synchronize configuration and mail data so service continues if the primary fails.

The automatic switch of mail processing from a failed primary FortiMail unit to its secondary peer, preserving queued mail and configuration continuity.

An export of FortiMail settings to a file that can be restored later or used to rebuild a device, ideally stored off-box and tested periodically.

The FortiMail store of messages awaiting delivery or retry, which administrators monitor to detect stuck mail, delivery failures, or backlog during outages.

FortiMail functions that record mail events and generate scheduled or on-demand reports on spam, viruses, and traffic, supporting auditing and troubleshooting.

A subscription service providing Fortinet-maintained spam signature and IP reputation data that FortiMail queries to improve detection accuracy.

The FortiMail GUI view summarizing CPU, memory, disk, mail statistics, and service health, used as a first stop when diagnosing performance or delivery problems.