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From: [e-mail] (Tomasz R. Surmacz)
Newsgroups: pl.news.admin,pl.answers,soc.culture.polish,news.admin.hierarchies,soc.answers,news.answers
Subject: How to add pl.* hierarchy to a news server (FAQ)
Supersedes: <[e-mail]>
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Date: 2 Nov 2001 01:15:12 -0000
Organization: Technical University of Wroclaw, Poland
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NNTP-Posting-Host: okapi.ict.pwr.wroc.pl
Summary: Information how to get Polish national news hierarchy (pl.*) at your
    news server, where to get it from, what it is and how to configure
    your news server to get the proper propagation of all the articles,
    newgroup messages and moderated postings.
Keywords: faq news pl hierarchy pl-hierarchy new site innd cnews poland polish
X-Archive: ftp://ftp.ict.pwr.wroc.pl/pub/faq-pl/news-pl-new-site-faq.1
    and http://www.usenet.pl/doc/news-pl-new-site-faq.html
Frequency: Posted monthly, on 2nd day of the month.
X-Copyright: (c) 1994-1999 Tomasz R. Surmacz.  The following text may
    be copied in verbatim form (in whole or partial) for *private* (ie.
    non-commecial) use, transported via news, e-mail, stored on a WWW
    or ftp server, etc.
Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu soc.culture.polish:347559 news.admin.hierarchies:12169 soc.answers:16001 news.answers:218339

Posted-By: auto-faq 3.1.1.2
Archive-name: usenet/pl-news-hierarchy

How to add pl.* hierarchy to a news server

This document contains the most important things related to adding the pl.*
news hierarchy to a news server or just configuring the server to carry it
properly if pl.* groups are already there. It is intended mainly for news
system administrators (and Polish users abroad trying to convince their news
administrators to get "pl.*" groups). To make things easier, this is a
detailed step-by-step instruction, but if it seems too elementary for you -
look at the end for a quick checklist (Use your favourite key sequence to
find '=====').

If you are a news administrator at some site and somebody has asked you to
participate in distribution of pl.* groups, then read on.

If you are a news user, who wants to read the pl.* groups on his default
news server - you should find the news administrator, kindly ask him if he
could arrange receiving the pl.* newsgroups, and send him this article (or
the pointer to the HTML version at
http://www.ict.pwr.wroc.pl/doc/news-pl-new-site-faq.html), to make his job
easier.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are few things to do, if you are going to receive the pl.* news
hierarchy, but the most important ones are:

   * getting the pl.* groups sent to you,
   * sending pl.* groups back (so that your users can POST),
   * configuring the hierarchy for the automatic creation of new groups.
   * appropriate handling of postings to moderated groups.

You may also find answers to some general questions about pl.* groups at the
end of this document:

   * What are the pl.* groups anyway?
   * Is there any 'checkgroups' message for pl.* groups?
   * What about PGP-signed control messages?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Getting the articles.

Contact the news administrator of the news server already carrying pl.*
groups. Try to find the nearest one (try 'ping -s' and 'traceroute'). The
best of course is when pl.* groups are carried over your 'normal' feed - ie.
together with other news hierarchies. But as the pl.* news are quite young
(first groups were created about June 1994), there are not many news servers
outside of Poland having them, so you may have to create a special new feed
for them. Below is the list of some servers outside Poland (and some in
Poland) carrying pl.*, that I know of. It is not very long (nor complete) as
you see. If the contact address is not explicitly listed, try 'usenet' at
the news server's address, as '[e-mail]'.

USA/Cleveland   news.wariat.org       [e-mail] (Zbigniew J. Tyrlik)
USA/Connecticut news.micro-net.net    [e-mail] (Jacek A. Ponarski)
USA             uunet.uu.net          (X 1995)
USA             gail.ripco.com
USA/MCI         news.mcs.com
USA             ratty.wolfe.net
USA/Sprintlink  news.sprintlink.net
USA             news.hookup.net
USA             news.uoregon.edu      [e-mail]
USA             news.efn.org          Russ Taylor (17.12.1996)
Canada/Toronto  news.ki.net           Marc G. Fournier <[e-mail]> (5.08.1996)
    and many more

Sweden          sunet.se              (existing feeds only!, see below)
Norway          news.uio.no           [e-mail] (since XI 1996)
Netherlands     news.easy.nl          Peter Janssens <[e-mail]> (V 1996)
Netherlands     news.NL.net, news.xs4all.nl, news.IAEhv.nl   see note below
Germany         news.uni-stuttgart.de Kurt Jaeger <[e-mail]>
Germany         news.desy.de          Kars Ohrenberg <[e-mail]>
Germany         news.fu-berlin.de
Australia       news.ozemail.com.au
Australia       news.mel.aone.net.au

Poland          news.ict.pwr.wroc.pl  Tomasz Surmacz <[e-mail]>
Poland          news.uw.edu.pl        Michal Jankowski <[e-mail]>
Poland          news.icm.edu.pl       Jan Rychter <[e-mail]>
Poland          news.nask.pl          Lukasz Ploszajski <[e-mail]>

    and all existing news servers in Poland (check
    http://www.ict.pwr.wroc.pl/pzs/pzs_nntp.html for the complete list)

Send e-mail to any of the above news administrators, asking him if he could
feed you the pl.* hierarchy. Include your news server addresses: the
internet address of the server and its 'news name' ie. the string which is
put in the 'Path:' header. Unfortunately, sunet.se seems to be overloaded
with its newsfeeds, so its administrators will not give you a 'new feed',
but if you already have one - just ask for the pl.* hierarchy to be added to
your existing feed. In Netherlands you should probably get the pl.* groups
from your 'usual' neighbour. If not, contact admins of news.NL.net.

Otherwise, contact other people from this list.

In reply you should get appropriate host name/news name for the host you
will be receiving pl.* articles from. (The first will be exactly as in the
list above (let it be "sample.site.pl", but the 'Path:' address is usually a
bit different - say "news.pl".) You should also get the current list of all
pl.* groups that you ought to create manually. This list is also posted
regularly to pl.answers and pl.news.admin groups (you may connect to
news.ict.pwr.wroc.pl to get access to these groups before you establish the
proper feed for pl.* for yourself). You can get the part of newsgroups and
active file also via ftp, as stated below.

Add the internet address (sample.site.pl) to your hosts.nntp file and
restart the server or do a "ctlinnd reload hosts.nntp '' ", if you are
running INND. This way you start recognizing the other host as the news
server and not a client. The 'PathHost' ("news.pl" in our example) will be
needed for the second step - sending news back.

Now - create all the groups. You should get the list in the format of the
active file, so this little script should do the job:

--------------------------- add_pl.sh ------------------------------
#!/bin/sh
# Usage: add_pl file_containing_pl_groups_in_active_format
# such as http://www.usenet.pl/doc/pl.active
# or ftp://ftp.ict.pwr.wroc.pl/pub/faq-pl/pl.active

# change this to reflect your configuration
ACTIVE=/usr/lib/news/active
PATH=$PATH:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/lib/news/bin

# Pause the server  (assuming innd)
ctlinnd pause 'updating active'

cp ${ACTIVE} ${ACTIVE}.bak
awk '{ printf ("%s 0000000000 0000000001 %s\n", $1, $4); }' < $1 >> $(ACTIVE)

ctlinnd reload active 'updating active'
ctlinnd go 'updating active'
----------------------------------------------------------------------

or if there are not too many groups, then (for INND only):

--------------------------- add_pl_small.sh --------------------------
#!/bin/sh
# Usage: add_pl_small file_containing_pl_groups_in_active_format
# such as http://www.usenet.pl/doc/pl.active
# or ftp://ftp.ict.pwr.wroc.pl/pub/faq-pl/pl.active

# change this to reflect your configuration
PATH=$PATH:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/local/news/bin

while read group last first type ; do
        ctlinnd newgroup ${group} ${type}
done < $1
----------------------------------------------------------------------

You should also get the descriptions of all the pl.* groups so just 'cat >>'
them to the end of your 'newsgroups' file. The current list of all pl.*
groups (updated daily) can be downloaded via ftp from the following address:

    ftp://ftp.ict.pwr.wroc.pl/pub/faq-pl/pl.newsgroups

The portion of current 'active' file containing only pl.* groups can be
found at:

    ftp://ftp.ict.pwr.wroc.pl/pub/faq-pl/pl.active

Even better and simpler way of creating new groups and getting in sync is
getting just the pl.newsgroups file and feeding it directly to the
docheckgroups program. This will produce a series of 'ctlinnd newgroup ...
lines which can be fed to shell for execution (ie. 'cat pl.newsgroups |
docheckgroups | sh')

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

moderators file:

All the postings to the moderated groups under pl.* should be sent to
[e-mail] (with dots in the group name replaced by hyphens)
- so to your 'moderators' file add the following somewhere near the
beginning (before the default "*:[e-mail]"):

    pl.*:[e-mail]

If you have installed the innd1.5.1 server and config files, you just have
to uncommend the appropriate line in the moderators file.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

control.ctl file:

To get all the new pl.* groups created and removed automatically when
needed, add the following to the control.ctl file:

newgroup:[e-mail]|michalj@*fuw.edu.pl:pl.*:doit=newgroup
rmgroup:[e-mail]|michalj@*fuw.edu.pl:pl.*:doit=rmgroup

Please note, there is *NO* dot between the first star and 'fuw' in the
second address. Usually the first of the above two addresses is used.

If you can check pgp-signed control messages, look at the end of this
document to get more info about how to set it up for the pl.* hierarchy.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

expire.ctl file:

This is completely your (or your users) policy, how long to keep the
postings in each group, but let me suggest you just one thing. There is a
special group pl.answers which is much like all *.answers groups - it is
moderated and all articles there are sent periodically with the appropriate
'Expires:' and 'Supersedes:' headers, so it would be best, if these were
respected. If your 'standard' entry is like: '*:A:1:10:never' - ie. 'never'
remove articles with 'Expires:' header before they expire - don't worry
about pl.answers. But if you force all articles to be expired after say 10
days - please make an exception and add to the expire.ctl:

       pl.answers:A:1:10:never

or:

       pl.answers:A:1:10:60

which means keep articles there for at least 1 day, usually 10 days if there
is no 'Expires:' header, otherwise respect the header (but in the latter
case - not longer than 60 days even if Expires: header says it should be
kept longer). All the articles have maximum 30-40 days expiration period, so
any of the above will be ok. (It is a good idea to respect these headers in
other groups too, anyway).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. Sending news:

Unless you are receiving pl.* groups through your mainstream feed, you need
to reconfigure a bit your server to send pl.* groups back. And even if you
are receiving them through your normal feeds, please make sure they are
included in the list of groups sent out.

When you asked for a pl.* feed, you also got permission to send all pl.*
groups back, so to your 'newsfeeds' file (that's in innd; in cnews it is
called 'sys') add appropriate entry for sending the pl.* groups back. Use
the 'pathhost' name (in our example - "news.pl") that you have got, to build
the entry. For example, in innd (assuming getting news from sample.site.pl
and sending them back there) it might look like:

    plnews/news.pl\
        :!*,pl.*\
        :Tf,Wnm:

(replace "news.pl" with what appears in the Path: field put there by the
site feeding you) and then you also need to tell your cron job sending news,
to send them also to "sample.site.pl". If you are using nntpsend/innxmit,
add to the nntpsend.ctl file:

    plnews:sample.site.pl:::-T1720 -t300
    ^      ^                ^
    |      |                + Other useful parameters
    |      Internet addres of your pl.* provider
    +-- Name used in newsfeeds file.

That should be all... You may now post a test message to pl.test and expect
a reply in e-mail within a day or so, as there is an automatic pl.test
responder attached to one of the servers in Poland. If your test posting
reaches it - get yourself a beer, as you have done a good work. :-) If you
do not want to get the reply message - just include the word 'ignore' in the
message subject or body.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  =======================================================================

Once again, step by step, in short:

You probably know your own news system better than me, so these detailed
descriptions may be unnecessary. If you know how to do most of things, use
this short 'checklist' instead:

   * Contact the news administrator at the other end and get the feed for
     pl.* groups
   * Add all existing groups to the 'active' file
   * Add groups' descriptions to your 'newsgroups' file
   * Add these 2 lines to the control.ctl file:

         newgroup:[e-mail]|michalj@*fuw.edu.pl:pl.*:doit=newgroup
         rmgroup:[e-mail]|michalj@*fuw.edu.pl:pl.*:doit=rmgroup

     And please note, that there is no dot before 'fuw' in the second
     address! For PGP-verification of control messages see comments at the
     end of this document.

   * Add this line to the 'moderators' file:                          [new!]

         pl.*:[e-mail]

   * Check the expiration policy for all 'normal' groups, and if possible -
     try respecting the 'Expires:' headers in pl.answers group by putting
     'never' or '60' in the last field of entry in expire.ctl file.
   * Modify your 'newsfeeds' file to feed all the pl.* groups back, so the
     articles posted by your users will be transferred to other servers.
   * Send a test posting to pl.test and check whether you receive a reply by
     e-mail from an autoresponder.
   * Send a short message to [e-mail] saying you have added
     pl.* to your news server, so I can keep the list of servers up to date
     (as long as it does not grow beyond a resonable size) and keep track of
     how far pl.* groups are propagated.
   * If your usenet neighbours want to get pl.* groups, send them this
     'starter kit' or point them to the newest version. There should be a
     copy in news.answers, news.admin.hierarchies, pl.answers and
     pl.news.admin at *your* server, but if not, you may always get one
     from:

       http://www.usenet.pl/doc/news-pl-new-site-faq.html
       ftp://ftp.ict.pwr.wroc.pl/pub/faq-pl/news-pl-new-site-faq.1

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

That's all.

Now is the time for...

Questions...

What are the pl.* groups anyway?

The pl.* news hierarchy holds Polish national groups. They sometimes mirror
similar groups in the big-eight hierarchy (with the exception, that in pl.*
groups the most used language is Polish), but some are very specific.

Is there any 'checkgroups' message for pl.* groups?

Yes, there is. It gets posted automatically once every two months (starting
on January 1st), so you should not see it very frequently. In addition you
may get the list of pl.* groups in the 'newsgroups' file format from the
locations described above and feed it to the 'docheckgroups' program.

What about PGP-signed control messages?

Yep, the control messages requesting creation or removal of groups in the
pl.* hierarchy are already PGP-signed. Of course, if your server does not
support checking of PGP signatures in control messages, you have to trust
the 'From:' headers. innd versions 1.5.1 and later support PGP control
messages by default, so you just have to uncomment appropriate lines in the
control.ctl file, as they are commented-out by default. The public PGP key
for these messages (ie. the key for pl.announce.newgroups) is included in
the innd 1.5.1 config files and can be also found here:

pub  1024/838AF8ED 1996/05/31  pl.announce.newgroups
sig       838AF8ED               pl.announce.newgroups

-----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
Version: 2.6.2i

mQCNAzGvEY4AAAEEAL8clpC5yydhkMN1ppivfj3E6EIyZtntScjuCyI+RwpvLf9o
So+FLbiMmjjCV7BNjds7c1yaDMPDFetZlqEYKof5Q0QK2bDaaou3wtnDesAXqrde
K24GURn0N2BYWR9sEFJ4bwn8fudHelFcAXPt24lI29bu6dX+LddKTteDivjtAAUR
tBVwbC5hbm5vdW5jZS5uZXdncm91cHOJAJUDBRAyc5r/10pO14OK+O0BAWq9A/0e
So5/56x6hkT0to92FUiIbcoHF6J20sa4edDXbzTHZTvNJh3K4iSBwkspMcx8AWyS
36ckftXsZP2xRTj2Dk4xgLLCcFBjPHt7q5ysa8dChkgEu8770OE5atbQZorzz757
xpOgKmjRXLVbzt680Z807jH/zOo+BRby3ZMJFtGPyrQXPGNvbnRyb2xAYWRtLnVz
ZW5ldC5wbD4=
=n+Qy
-----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----

You may also send email to [e-mail] with "GET
0x838AF8ED" in the Subject: field and empty message body.

The corrected control.ctl lines should be as follows:

newgroup:[e-mail]|michalj@*fuw.edu.pl:pl.*:verify-pl.announce.newgroups
rmgroup:[e-mail]|michalj@*fuw.edu.pl:pl.*:verify-pl.announce.newgroups

They are not set as a default for innd 1.5.1, so you need to comment out
'old' newgroup/rmgroup files and copy the above ones.

For more information on checking PGP-signed control messages, see
ftp://ftp.uu.net/networking/news/misc/pgpcontrol/README.html or
ftp://ftp.uu.net/networking/news/misc/pgpcontrol/README.
Whether or not you do a PGP validation of control messages, the addresses
they are sent from are the same as mentioned above (in the control.ctl
section).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you have any comments on the above procedure or my description, or if you
find any errors, etc., please do tell me, so I can improve it.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tomasz R. Surmacz ([e-mail], [e-mail]),
2.12.1998

RCSid: $Id: news-pl-new-site-faq.html,v 2.4 1998/12/22 20:53:26 tsurmacz Exp
$