ftp.wwiv.com/ftp.wwiv.com.zip/ftp.wwiv.com/pub/PPPBCKP/NEWS020.ZIP/NEWS020.FAQ

Text File | 1997-12-29 | 21KB | 483 lines

Eileen Stone #2 @172 [AutoSend]
Sun Dec 28 00:08:53 1997
"FILEnet Newsgroups for Dummies FAQ"
FAQ version 0.20
Written by Eileen Stone of the MultiVersal Dreams BBS, [e-mail]
Revised December 19, 1997


To auto-request this FAQ, Mailto: [e-mail].
The mail's subject line must be faq4dummies or newsgroupfaq.


TABLE OF CONTENTS:
===========================================================================
I.    Files needed to run the Project.
II.   Altering the network files to connect you to the newsgroup node.
    1.  Create Group 99 in your BBSLIST.0 file.
    2.  Create/Alter BBSLIST.99 file.
    3.  Create/Alter CONNECT.99 file.
    4.  CALLOUT.NET entry format.
    5.  Force Analysis of your FILEnet Network connection.
III.  Configuring the PPP Project files for your system's set up.
    1.  [NEWS] subsection must be uncommented.
        "SAMPLE NEWS SECTION FROM NET.INI"
    2.  NEWSHOST line must also be uncommented and filled out.
    3.  Authentification Routine instructions.
    4.  Set up your killfile in FILENET\NOSPAM.TXT.
    5.  TIMEHOST setup.
IV.   Setting up and using the NEWS.RC file.
    1.  Creating NEWS.RC file.
    2.  How to get the current list of newsgroups in a file named NEWSRC.
    3.  Put newsgroups you want in NEWS.RC in the following format:
        "THE NEWS.RC FORMAT DIAGRAM."
    4.  Subscribe to newsgroup via //Boardedit, with usage advise.
    5.  Add @32767 to your N*.NET files for the newsgroups you want.
    6.  Force a call to @32767 to download the NEWSRC file and newsgroups.
V.    Binary newsgroups.
    1.  How to spool a newsgroup instead of making it a sub.
    2.  New Binary newsgroup commands for catching up.
    3.  Keep an eye out for Papa Bear's PBNEWS Utility for Binaries.
VI.   Removing a newsgroup.
    1.  Remove the sub from //boardedit if you recieved it that way.
    2.  Remove the newsgroup line from NEWS.RC.
VII.  Mod to allow the "/" in callout net to parse as hours, not days.
    1.  Explanation of mod, and mod code.
    2.  Proper use of the mod.
==========================================================================


I.   Firstly, are you set up with the latest files, version 1.4 or better?
A good place to look is at http://www.owt.com/users/quixotic/ppp-wwiv.

The four files you need are:

pppp4j14.zip, -- The newest basic file.
ppp15b26.zip, -- The latest upgrade.
klospppw.zip, -- Use this if you run a multitasker.  You can use freeware
                 version 1.42, or register for $10 for the newest version.
exp097.zip,   -- The module for exporting to mail or newsgroups,
                 or the EXP module distributed with the project.

It is also recommended that you get Quixotic Quest's FAQ, and the latest
version of this FAQ.  Quixotic's FAQ goes into much more detail in sections
I-II than this one does.  This FAQ only covers those subjects as they
relate to problems a reader might have with his newsgroup connection.


II.  Second, make sure you are connected to the newsgroup node:
Altering the FILEnet Network files in the drive:\bbs\net\FILE* dir.

(1)
Check to see if there is a group 99 in the bottom of the BBSLIST.0 file.
If there is not, add it to the file, in the same manner as the others
are listed.

(2)
Creat a BBSLIST.99 file, if you need one, and check to see if there is
a node @32767, in the BBSLIST.99 file, like this:
@32767   *999-PPP-NEWS #00300   !$   [-1]   "Internet Newsgroups and Mail"

(3)
Your CONNECT.99 file, which you may have to create, should look like this:

@your node 32767
@32767 your node

(4)
In your CALLOUT.NET; besides your other connects (and after them), you
should have a line that looks like this:

@32767 &

NOTE: It is VERY important that you don't have the semi-colon ( ; ) used
for compression on this line.  You cannot connect to the newsgroups if
you have this character included.

(5)
Force a network analysis using the command Network3 .x Y from the DOS
prompt in the main BBS directory.  Where x is one less than the network
number for FILEnet as shown in INIT.  Check the feedback from FILEnet.
If all is OK, you should have one system routing through @32767.  If you
have zero, make sure you edited the above files properly.  If you have
more than one, then make sure that @32767 is not listed in any of the
other BBSLIST.x or CONNECT.x files.  (Node @32767 is a fictional node, used
to trick the software to download newsgroups and Internet mail.  If more
than one system routes through #32767, you will lose all network traffic
attempting to use that path.)


III.  Altering the PPP Software configuration files.

(1)
Edit the NET.INI file in your main bbs directory.  Near the bottom of
this file, there should be a subsection called: [NEWS].  Make sure that
is not commented out by having a semi-colon (;) in front of this line.

SAMPLE NEWS SECTION FROM NET.INI

[NEWS]
;
; Your news host where your authorized to retrieve newsgroup articles.
NEWSHOST = 255.255.255.255
;
; Username, when provider requires a login to use the news host.
;NEWSNAME = username
;
; Associated password for news host login.
;NEWSPASS = password
;
; Account to send inbound mail which isn't addressed to a specific user.
POSTMASTER = 1
;
; Use WWIV real name (USER.LST) instead of the alias on outbound mail.
REALNAME = N
;
; Maximum number of cross-posts before discarding a newsgroup article.
XPOSTS = 5
;
; Use a fake name on newsgroup posts to prevent getting unsolicited mail.
SPAMCONTROL = Y
;
; User-defined fake name when SPAMCONTROL=Y (must have an '@' and a '.').
SPAMADDRESS = [e-mail]
;
; User-defined fake name when SPAMCONTROL=Y (must have an '@' and a '.').
REPLYTO = yourhandle{at}yourdomain{dot}com - Replace Obvious.
;
; Signature file appended to newsgroup posts and Internet mail (ASCII only!)
SIGNATURE = D:\WWIV\GFILES\INTERNET.TAG
;
; Bypass crosspost check on binary newsgroups?  If 'Y' will *not* perform a
; check against the number of crossposts.
;BINXPOST = Y

(2)
Make sure the NEWSHOST line is uncommented and defined.  Put in the name
of your news server for your ISP on this line.  The numerical address
seems to work better than the alphanumeric version.

(3)
Some ISP's require authentification (in effect, another logon) in order
to allow you to connect to them, in order to preserve their resources.
The NEWSNAME and NEWSPASS are now presented at time of connection.  If
your host does *not* require authentication, you *must* comment _out_
the NEWSNAME and NEWSPASS lines in NET.INI, otherwise you'll get
authentication errors!

(4)
There are ways to control internet spam.  First, set your net.ini file's
maximum crossposts to the amount you prefer; the suggested value is 5.
In the case of Binary newsgroups, you may want to bypass that check.
There is a yes/no toggle in net.ini if you wish to do so.  For specific
filters, some have used Autosend's profanity filtering ability, and
others have used Strip-It, but some found these methods unsatisfactory.

As of Beta 56, a Spam filter was added to the project.  You must create a
file in your FILEnet directory called NOSPAM.TXT.  You should list the
that things you want filtered, one entry per line, case-insensitive.  You
may list originating addresses, or subject matters of messages that you
don't wish to be imported to the bbs.  With Beta 57, the routines ensure
that the keywords must be at least three characters long.

In Beta 77, there were added defined sub-sections in this file of
[GLOBAL], [NEWS], and [MAIL].  Quotes may be added as before to
define embedded spaces.  You must put in section headers like:

;NOSPAM.TXT
;
[GLOBAL]
;For use in parsing against both E-Mail *and* Newsgroups.
make money fast
fast cash
phone sex
6t9.com
" MLM "
$$$$$
"free "
"live "
[NEWS]
;For use in filtering out unwanted Usenet posts.
.UUE
.JPG
.GIF
.ZIP
[Mail]
;Used to killfile those you wish to exclude from E-Mailing you.
@money
money@

If there's a match, the message is skipped during retrieval.  The delay
in parsing even a 100 line NOSPAM.TXT is insignificant compared to the
time saved by not retrieving the spam!  (In other words, the comparison
is pretty quick!)  The check is bypassed if BINXPOST=Y in NET.INI or if
NOSPAM.TXT does not exist in the FILEnet directory.

QUOTES: If you wish to include spaces in the string, you must use quotes
in the filtered text.  For instance:

" MLM "

...will even filter those pesky mails that claim NOT to be Multi-Level
Marketing, even when they patently are, on closer inspection.  <VEG>

Quotes can also help to make sure the string is really a problem.
The simple string 'twat' would filter the name of a Magic: the
Gathering game card called "Rootwater Depths" (a true example), while
the string " twat " would not filter a valid discussion of the card.

(5)
Starting with Beta 51, and corrected by Beta 57, the project will check
the Port 37 of the listed TIMEHOST, and update your system clock after a
mail or news connect.  The default Host is Frank Reid's in Maryland:
ns.nctsw.navy.mil.  To get the correct time with that Host even if you are
in a different Time Zone, set the following environmental variable in your
CONFIG.SYS (this variable is a good idea even if you use a local host).

               Eastern Time ...: SET TZ=est5edt
               Central Time ...: SET TZ=cst6cdt
               Mountain Time ..: SET TZ=mst7mdt
               Pacific Time ...: SET TZ=pst8pdt
               Alaska .........: SET TZ=ast9adt
               Hawaii .........: SET TZ=hst10hdt

Note: If your Timezone does not use Daylight Savings Time, use the listed
Zone without the last three letters.

[EXAMPLE: Arizona (Pacfic Time, no Daylight Savings) would be SET TZ=pst8.]


IV.  Then, once you are connected to the newsgroup node:

(1)
Create a new file called NEWS.RC in the FILEnet Net directory.  You will
list your newsgroups in this file, one to a line.  For the proper format,
see Section IV-3.

(2)
If you also want a list of all current newsgroups, put at the very top
of the file NEWS.RC "newsrc" (no quotes), and it will download the current
list for you.  It will make a file called NEWSRC with one newsgroup listed
per line, for all the 18000 plus newsgroups, (or however many there are
listed at your local host).

Previous to Beta 52, this would *NOT* update automatically.  If you
wanted a new list before this version, you deleted or renamed the newsrc
file, and did this step again.  If you absolutely need a new copy, you can
still do this and it will work fine.  See section IV-7 for how Beta 52
changed this situation, and how the auto-update functions.

HINT: If you want users to be able to request newsgroups, make the NEWSRC
file available as a bulletin or as a file for downloading.

(3)
In the NEWS.RC file put in (as a sample) some low-volume newsgroups, I used
alt.bbs.wwiv (pretty much devoted to PPP coversations, now).
In this format:

THE NEWS.RC FORMAT DIAGRAM

+ --- CASE SENSITIVE NEWSGROUP NAME(a)
|            + ----------------- LOWEST ARTICLE # READ(b)
|            | + ---------------------------------- ALPHANUMERIC SUBTYPE(c)
V            V V
alt.bbs.wwiv 0 1001

Parts of the NEWS.RC format diagram.

a.  Name.
Newsgroup Names are usally lower case.  Check NEWSRC for _exact_ syntax.
Without the EXACT newsgroup name, you cannot connect to the group.

b.  Article number.
Once you have a current newsrc file, you can see the highest article number
listed at the server.  If you wish to sample the group, put in a number
that is perhaps 50 below this number.  If you put in 0, it will grab in the
latest x articles, where x is the maximum messages defined in Boardedit.
If the program resets your article number to 0, this could indicate that
the Newserver is full or down.  Check with your ISP, and see what the
situation is.

c.  Subtypes.
Before PPP 1.5 beta-25, the subtypes could only be numeric, but the
project can now accept alphanumeric subtypes standard to WWIV.  If you are
using numerical subtypes with an easily guessed scheme, CHANGE THEM NOW!
There have been instances of boards hacking spam through legitimately
posting boards, and better safe...  Be sure to delete your old N*.net
files, and add @32767 to the new alpha n*.net files, because WWIV will not
do that for you automatically.  If you are changing your subtypes, also be
sure to change the subtypes in your news.rc file, as that needs to coincide
with your new n*.net file.

I don't know why, but the alpha characters in the subtypes in news.rc
MUST be in ALL-CAPS, if not the messages bounce as unknown/unwanted.
Maybe it's because most ISP's are UNIX boxes, and they run on a case
sensitive operating system, or maybe it's a quirk of the current PPP
program, but the result is that (in my experience) subtypes with letters
in them MUST be all *capital* letters. If you make the subtype 0,
it will spool the newsgroup into a file.  See section V.

(4)
In Boardedit subscribe to the newsgroup, using the subtype you determined
above, and making _yourself_ host.  (Recommended: say no to listing the sub
in the subs.lst, and say no for autorequests.  Since each member of FILEnet
connected to the Internet can better get newsgroups for themselves, there
is generally no benefit for gating them around.  Possible exceptions to
this rule of thumb include gating to local systems on other networks, to
Non-Internet connected FILEnet nodes, and in cases where a node's news
server is censoring newsgroups.)  Make a unique filename as usual.

NOTE: It also works to make @32767 to be the host of the newsgroup.  Using
this method eliminates the N*.NET files mentioned below, and allows you to
Net-Val for *your* users if, for instance it's a moderated newsgroup and
you don't want just any moron to post on it.  If you use this method, skip
to part IV-7.

(5)
In DOS, or whatever, edit the N*.NET file in your Filenet directory, (or
N####.NET where #### is the Subtype for the group) and add at the top
32767.  Save the file.  You have manually added the ficticious newsgroup
node as a subscriber.

(6)
Force a connect to @32767, it will download the current NEWSRC file if you
asked it to do so, as per section IV-2, and will give some posts from the
newsgroups you defined.  They will be the latest available messages, so
you'll probably have to wait a while to get any more posts.

It will delete the NEWS.RC top line, and change the middle numbers of each
of the other lines to the number of the highest article.  It will update
this number every time you connect. Anytime you want to check for new
messages, just force a callout, or if you're lucky, you can set it up to
check automatically every hour or so.

Starting with Beta 52, and perfected in Beta 53, the program will now
automatically download a copy of the newest NEWSRC list at the first of
every month, and then download daily updates of the changes that might
show up in between the monthly events.

SITUATIONS WHERE A _FULL_ NEWSRC LISTING WILL DOWNLOAD.
        - There is no NEWSRC.
        - NEWSRC is listed on the top line of NEWS.RC.
        - NEWSRC's date is from a previous month.

SITUATION WHERE A NEWSRC _UPDATE_ WILL DOWNLOAD.
        - If the NEWSRC's Month is Current, but the Date is not.
          (I.e., not Yesterday's).

SITUATION WHERE NEWSRC IS -*NOT*- DOWNLOADED OR UPDATED.
        - The NEWSRC is of the Current month and date.
          (Subsequent connects of a single day will skip the routines.)



V.  Binary Newsgroups.

(1)
If you make the Subtype number 0, as well.  The articles will concatenate
as one file in the SPOOL directory.  This is useful for Binary newsgroups.
This can also be used as another way to test a newsgroup before exposing
your readers to it.  (Testing for volume, content, etc.)

As of Beta 73, an item of "Group: <groupname>" was added to the headers
of recieved binaries, for use by PBNews in sorting into the proper
directories.  See (3), below.

(2)
Options were added to the Binary news retrieval sessions allowing
you to "jump" ahead when you're way behind.  These commands are:

']' - Jumps forward 10 articles
'}' - Jumps forward 100 articles
'+' - Takes user input for number of articles to jump

These keys are only active during Binary (News*.UUE) retrieval.  The
project already limits total articles for newsgroups brought into the
BBS, so they can't exceed the sub capacity.

(3)
Keep an eye out for Papa Bear's Binary Newsgroup Utility, currently in
development.  From what I understand, it goes through and extracts all
valid binaries in a spool, and auto uploads them into defined BBS
directories.  Mail him at @518.FILEnet for more information.

                           A N N O U N C I N G ! ! !
              ╥─────┐ ╥────┐
              ║     │ ║    │
              ╟─────┘ ╟────┴┐ ╓──┐ ╓──┐ ╥   ┬ ╓──┐    ─╖    ╓──╖
              ║       ║     │ ║  │ ╟──┘ ║ │ │ ╙──┐     ║    ║  ║
              ╨       ╨─────┘ ╨  ┴ ╙──┘ ╙─┴─┘ ╙──┘    ─╨─ o ╙──╜

            Proudly written by Pâpâ ßêâr / a CEREBRUM '97 release!

FEATURES:
o   Assures 100% data extraction from large NEWS*.UUE files (as generated
    by the PPP Project's NEWS.EXE (Internet newsgroup reader) module by:
    - breaking apart the input file(s) into manageable pieces.
    - renaming duplicate filenames on the fly.
    - executing UUDEVIEW.EXE (for DOS) on each individual file created.
o   Creates a FILES.BBS file that accurately reflects *all* filenames
    created, including those changed by the duplicate filename indexer.
o   FAST! FAST! FAST!  23 seconds for a 32Mb, 50,580 line input file in
    "Quiet" {fast mode} (with UUdeview execution: 45 seconds).  FILES.BBS
    and PBNEWS.LOG creation do not add any time to processing!
o   Limits processing of articles that are smaller than you specify, to
    block out those annoying spam-type *.HTM files.
o   Re-routing of decoded files to directory or directories of your choice.
o   Best of all, its FREEWARE!  No registration required.

                      Available from StarPort Valhalla:
                518.FILEnet - 11579.WWIVnet - [e-mail]


VI.  How to Remove newsgroups.

(1)
Remove the newsgroup subboard as usual in Boardedit.  If you had the
newsgroup set to spool, only the next step is neccessary.

(2)
Then remove the line in NEWS.RC that has that newsgroup defined.
Failure to do this part may cause an error, as there is no subtype of
the number you first defined, and the subtype is not 0.  See section
V for details of the results if you change the subtype to 0.


VII.  FILEnet mod for CALLOUT.NET

(1)
Since newsgroups are fairly active on the Internet, and most providers
don't increase your costs with a high number of calls, you might want to
have your board call out every few hours to pick up the latest messages
and/or network packets.  To do this, you'll need to make a mod to your
source code.  For WWIV 4.23 through 4.24a (and perhaps beyond), you need
to change one line in NETSUP.C, void attempt_callout(void):

      if ((ok) && (i2!=-1)) {
        if (ncn[i2].bytes_waiting==0L)
          if (con[i].call_anyway) {
            l1=(l-ncn[i2].lastcontact+60*3)/SECONDS_PER_HOUR;   /* change */
            if (((unsigned char)l1 < con[i].call_anyway) ||
               ((con[i].options & options_sendback)==0))
              if (!net_only)
                ok=0;

(2)
To activate this "call anyway" feature, you need to add the / parameter to
CALLOUT.NET.  Make your @32767 entry look like:

@32767 & /3

to force a callout roughly every three hours.  (Note without the mod, this
means force a callout every three days).  You might want to make the same
change to your other FILEnet Internet connects as well, to speed up the
normal network packets as well.


==========================================================================
Hope this helps, and I will update this file as the situation requires,
and repost it as needed.  I can autopost it monthly, and if there are any
problems or suggestions, please email me.

Newsgroup FAQ maintainer: Eileen Stone, #2 @172.FILEnet