NNRPD(8)NNRPD(8)NAMEnnrpd - NNTP server for on-campus hosts
SYNOPSISnnrpd [ -b address ] [ -D ] [ -g shadowgroup ] [ -i ] [ -o
] [ -p port ] [ -R ] [ -r reason ] [ -S ] [ -s title
padding ] [ -t ]
DESCRIPTION
Nnrpd is an NNTP server for newsreaders. It accepts com
mands on its standard input and responds on its standard
output. It is normally invoked by innd(8) with those
descriptors attached to a remote client connection. Nnrpd
also supports running as a standalone daemon.
Unlike innd, nnrpd supports all NNTP commands for user-
oriented reading and posting.
Nnrpd uses the readers.conf(5) file to control who is
authorized to access the Usenet database. When
<NNRP_LOADLIMIT in include/config.h> is not 0, It will
also reject connections if the load average is greater
than that value (typically 16.)
On exit, nnrpd will report usage statistics through sys_
log(3).
Nnrpd can also prevent high-volume posters from abusing
your resources. See the discussion of exponential backoff
in inn.conf(5).
OPTIONS-b The ``-b'' parameter instructs nnrpd to bind to the
specified IP address when started as a standalone
daemon using the ``-D'' flag. This has to be a
valid Internet address in dotted-quad format
belonging to an interface of the local host.
-D If specified, this parameter causes nnrpd to oper
ate as a daemon. That is, it detaches itself and
runs in the background, forking a process for every
connection. By default nnrpd listens on the NNTP
port (119), so either innd has to be started on
another port or nnrpd is invoked with the ``-p''
parameter. Note that with this parameter, nnrpd
continues running until killed. This means that it
reads inn.conf(5) once on startup and never again
until restarted. nnrpd should therefore be
restarted if inn.conf is changed.
-g On systems that have a shadow password file, nnrpd
tries to add the group ``shadow'' as a supplemen
tary group if it is running in standalone mode. On
many systems, members of that group have read per
mission for the shadow password file. The ``-g''
parameter instructs nnrpd to try to add the named
group as a supplementary group on shadow systems
instead of ``shadow''. This only works if
<HAVE_GETSPNAM inn include/config.h> is defined and
nnrpd is running in standalone mode since this call
only works when nnrpd is started as root.
-o The ``-o'' flag causes all articles to be spooled
instead of sending them to innd. Rnews with ``-U''
flag should be invoked from cron on a regular basis
to take care of these articles. This flag is useful
if innd in accepting articles and nnrpd is started
standalone or using inetd.
-p The ``-p'' parameter instructs nnrpd to listen on
port when started as a standalone daemon using the
``-D'' flag.
-R This option forces nnrpd to be ``read-only''. The
startup banner will indicate ``no posting''.
-r If the ``-r'' flag is used, then nnrpd will reject
the incoming connection giving reason as the text.
This flag is used by innd when it is paused or
throttled.
-S If specified, nnrpd start a negotiation for SSL
session as soon as connected. To use this flag,
<--with-openssl at configure> must be specified.
-s As each command is received, nnrpd tries to change
its ``argv'' array so that ps(1) will print out the
command being executed. To get a full display, the
``-s'' flag may be used with a long string as its
argument, which will be overwritten when the pro
gram changes its title.
-t If the ``-t'' flag is used then all client commands
and initial responses will be traced by reporting
them in syslog. This flag is set by innd under the
control of the ctlinnd(8) ``trace'' command, and is
toggled upon receipt of a SIGHUP; see signal(2).
PROTOCOL DIFFERENCES
Nnrpd implements the NNTP commands defined in RFC 977,
with the following differences:
1. The ``ihave'' command is not implemented. Users
should be using the ``post'' command to post arti
cles.
2 The ``slave'' command is not implemented. This
command has never been fully defined.
3 The ``list'' command may be followed by the
optional word ``active.times'', ``distributions'',
``distrib.pats'', ``moderators'', ``newsgroups'',
``subscriptions'', or ``overview.fmt'' to get a
list of when newsgroups where created, a list of
valid distributions, a file specifying default dis
tribution patterns, moderators list, a one-per-line
description of the current set of newsgroups, a
list of the automatic group subscriptions, or a
listing of the overview.fmt(5) file. The command
``list active'' is equivalent to the ``list'' com
mand. This is a common extension.
4. The ``xhdr'', ``authinfo user'', and ``authinfo
pass'' commands are implemented. These are based
on the reference Unix implementation. See
ftp://ftp.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-ietf-nnt
pext-imp-04.txt
5. A new command, ``xpat header range|MessageID pat
[morepat...]'', is provided. The first argument is
the case-insensitive name of the header to be
searched. The second argument is either an article
range or a single Message-ID, as specified in RFC
977. The third argument is a wildmat(3)-style pat
tern; if there are additional arguments they are
joined together separated by a single space to form
the complete pattern. This command is similar to
the ``xhdr'' command. It returns a 221 response
code, followed by the text response of all article
numbers that match the pattern.
6. The ``listgroup group'' command is provided. This
is a comment extension. It is equivalent to the
``group'' command, except that the reply is a
multi-line response containing the list of all
article numbers in the group.
7. The ``xgtitle [group]'' command is provided. This
extension is used by ANU-News. It returns a 282
reply code, followed by a one-line description of
all newsgroups that match the pattern. The default
is the current group.
8. The ``xover [range]'' command is provided. It
returns a 224 reply code, followed by the overview
data for the specified range; the default is to
return the data for the current article.
9. The ``xpath MessageID'' command is provided; see
innd(8).
10. The ``date'' command is provided; this is based on
the draft NNTP protocol revision( draft-ietf-nnt
pext-imp-04.txt). It returns a one-line response
code of 111 followed by the GMT date and time on
the server in the form YYYYMMDDhhmmss.
HISTORY
Written by Rich $alz <rsalz@uunet.uu.net> for InterNet
News. Overview support added by Rob Robertston <rob@vio
let.berkeley.edu> and Rich in January, 1993. Exponential
backoff (for posting) added by Dave Hayes in Febuary 1998.
This is revision 1.14.2.3, dated 2000/11/16.
SEE ALSOctlinnd(8), innd(8), inn.conf(5), signal(2), wildmat(3).
NNRPD(8)
