``Eileen Stone`` #2@2910.TerraNET
Tue Apr 08 11:40:52 1997
"FILEnet Newsgroups for Dummies" 
FAQ version 0.05 
Revised April 8, 1997

I.   Firstly, are you set up with the latest files, version 1.4 or better?

The four files you need are: 

pppp4j14.zip, -- The newest basic file.
ppp15b24.zip, -- The latest upgrade.
klospppw.zip, -- Use this if you run a multitasker.
exp097.zip,   -- The module for exporting to mail or newsgroups,
                 or the EXP module distributed with the project.

II.  Second, make sure you are connected to the newsgroup node:

II-A.  Altering the FILEnet Network files.

(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.) 

II-B.  Altering the PPP Software configuration files.

(0)  
You must set up your NEWS server, defining it NET.INI, found in the main 
bbs directory.

(1)  
At the bottom of the 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.

(2) 
Make sure the NEWSHOST line is uncommented as well.  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.

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

(0) 
Create a new file called NEWS.RC.  You will list your newsgroups in this 
file, one to a line.  For the proper format, see Section III-2.

(1)
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.  This will *NOT* update 
automatically for now.  If you want a new list, delete or rename the file 
newsrc, and do this step again.

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.

(2)
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:

+ CASE SENSITIVE NEWSGROUP NAME
|            + ---------------- LOWEST ARTICLE # READ
|            | + ------------------------------------ ALL NUMERIC SUBTYPE 
V            V V                
alt.bbs.wwiv 0 1001

a.  Name.
Newsgroup Names are usally lower case.  Check NEWSRC for exact syntax.

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.

c.  Subtype.  
The Subtype MUST be numeric right now, and can be any numeric subtype you 
choose to define.  To avoid duplication of local Internet newsgroup sub
numbers with real subboard subtypes on FILEnet, the range from 10000 to
10999 have been unofficially set aside for newsgroups, but you are free to
use whatever system you like.  I use the 1000+ series for 'alt' groups, 
2000+ series for 'rec' groups, and 3000+ for 'misc' groups.  I suppose an 
extra 0 in the numbers would be safer, but I can't figure that I'll need 
more than 999 of each type of newsgroup (from 1001 - 1999 for example).  
I use this system of numbering because I don't intend to gate any newsgroup.

(3)
If you make the Subtype number 0, as well.  The articles will concatenate 
as one file in the SPOOL directory.  Useful for binary newsgroups.  
The program will do this for you if you define an alpha-numeric subtype. <g>
This can also be used as another way to test a newsgroup before exposing 
your readers to it.  (Testing for volume, content, etc.)

(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.

(5)
In DOS, or whatever, edit the N1001.NET file in your Filenet directory, 
(or N####.NET where #### is the numeric 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, and will give some posts from the newsgroups you defined.  
They will be the latest available messages, so you'll have to wait a while 
to get any more posts.  It will delete the newsrc line, and change the 
middle number 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.

IV.  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.

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

2*57< 3ileen tone 7>52*0
5ady ealer!0

