BSD 4_3 development

[unix-history] / usr / contrib / nntp / README

NNTP README		March 20, 1986		For version 1.2a NNTP package

[See the file CHANGES to see differences between this version and
older versions.]

     This package contains everything (well, most of it, I hope) that
you'll need to implement a remote news server running the NNTP
protocol.

     A brief tour of the directories and their programs:

	server		Source for the NNTP news server daemon.

	rrn		Version 4.3 of "rn", hacked up to support
			remote news reading.

	inews		A "mini-inews" written by Steven Grady
			<grady@ucbingres.berkeley.edu> which allows
		 	remote posting without changing much else.

	xmit		An active transmission client for transferring
			news, written by Erik Fair; see note below.

	common		Common stuff (response codes, configuration info,
			and some client library routines) for the
			the news server and the clients.  The "conf.h"
			file here which needs to be edited to reflect
			the peculiarities of your system.

	support		Some support programs which make the nntpd's
			life considerably easier.

	doc		Documentation on the server, including manual
			pages.  Manual pages for rrn are in rrn/.

     Each directory has associated with it a README file (except
for rrn -- rrn has a bunch of 'em.  The one you want is README_RRN).
As you go through the system customizing things, you should read
the README for each directory to get an idea of what traps await
you in that area.  You may also want to print a copy of doc/rfc977.

     TWO IMPORTANT NOTES:

	1. The NNTP server assumes that the history file format
	   is 2.10.3; therefore, you need 2.10.3 news.

	2. If you want to transfer news with NNTP, you'll be using
	   the "nntpxmit" program in the "xmit" directory.
	   This requires routines in 2.10.3 news source, and must
	   be compiled there.  See xmit/README for more info.

     >>>>> Get 2.10.3 news if you don't have it.

     So, time for a general and cohesive Plan:

     1. Look at common/README.  This will explain the stuff which
	needs to be tailored for your system in common/conf.h.
	Make the necessary changes to reflect your system.

	Note that unfortunately "rrn" has its own configuration
	include file, and it was not feasible (pronounced "I'm too
	lazy") to combine the two.

     2. Look at server/README; there shouldn't be much to do here,
	as the configuration stuff should have been taken care of
	when you edited common/conf.h.

	Do a "make", and see if things work ok -- they should
	(comforting, right?)

     3. Check out support/README and learn about the support programs.
	Again, there should be no configuration changes, as that's
	what common/conf.h is for.

	Do a "make" here, too.

     4. Look at inews/README.  This is for the pseudo-inews which
	gets installed on client news machines.  If you don't want
	your clients to be able to post, don't worry about this.
	But I suggest you do.  Again, there shouldn't be any
	configuration futzing to be dealt with.

	Alas, do a make here, too.

     5. The big one: rrn.  Read rrn/README_RRN to get some idea of
	what has been changed from generic rn 4.3.  Then run
	a Configure.  Now follow the instructions as given in
	rrn/README_RRN.

     6. It would be nice if you could do a "make install" here,
	but you can't: if you compile this on the NNTP server machine,
	you don't want rrn objects installed.  On the other hand,
	if you compile this on a client machine, you don't want
	server objects installed.  So:

	Server?  Type "make install_server".  This installs "server"
		 and "support".

	Client?  Type "make install_client".  This installs "rrn"
		 and "inews"

     Problems?  You can get to me via electronic mail via the
following electronic addresses:

	Internet:	phil@ucbvax.berkeley.edu
	UUCP:		...!ucbvax!phil
	CSNET:		phil@Berkeley
	Telephone:	(415) 848-8409

     I'm very interested in learing what hacks need to be made to
nntpd to get it to work on various systems, and certainly, if there
are outright bugs, please let me know.

     Also, please send me electronic mail if you decide to use this
package, as that way I can mail out bug reports and fixes.  Be sure
to include a reply-able address if your mailer doesn't generate
one for you.

     One note, though -- as for "rrn", I'll support bugs caused
by my additions/mods to it (hopefully Larry Wall will be supporting
this soon...) but please don't send me reports about things which
were already in rn 4.3.  Thanks.

     Wait... one more note:  there is a (well, many, but I'll say "a")
known bug in my implementation of "rrn".  If there is a kill file
for a newsgroup, you *cannot* save articles to shell script savers.
I have *no* idea what causes this.  If you find out, *please* let me
know.  If you'd care to work on it, I'll send you lots of stuff
I've tracked down so far.

     Finally, I'd like to thank the various people who both inspired
and helped to make this project a reality:  Erik Fair, whose criticism
and suggestions helped mold NNTP (and who wrote the active transmission
client); Brian Kantor, who really got me motivated enough to go and
finish the thing, and whose work on the RFC was *tremendous*; Steven
Grady, who wrote the inews interafce (and wasted countless hours only
to have his work dashed periodically...); Mike Meyer, who beta tested
the software and pointed out numerous problems; Bob Henry, who let me
have the resources so that it got done; Peter Yee, who repeated enough
good ideas to get me to include them; all the folks who had patience
with me and didn't go off and write this themselves (jsq, you
listening?  My thanks.); Chuq von Rospach and the members of lan-news;
and probably a lot of other people I've neglected to mention.  My
thanks to all.

						Phil Lapsley,
						13 March 1986