ESA and the XML Configuration Format

Every Email Security Appliance (ESA) maintains an internal configuration repository that’s minimally exposed to administrators. The only interface to this configuration is through the supported XML configuration format provided in files by export from a running ESA. This XML document is defined by the Document Type Definition (DTD) file config.dtd on the ESA filesystem in the configuration directory.

The XML configuration file contains all the configuration settings for that particular appliance. It does not contain any of the data on the system, namely messages in queue or in any quarantine, or any files on the ESA filesystem. It records the log subscriptions and options, but not any logging data. In other words, if you’re replacing an ESA, you need to take separate steps to get the messages delivered and log files transferred away from the ESA. It stores the settings for the end user Safelist and Blocklist (SLBL), but not the actual entries, so if you’re using that feature, you need to export that table.