G The following are a number of commonly asked questions with NEWS. These  answers may prove useful...     C ------------------------------------------------------------------- D We are running news, but I am having problems making news post itemsG successfully. I believe my main problems are a lack of understanding of C how the files news_post.cc & mailpaths. interact with the automatic # moderator address produced by news. C -------------------------------------------------------------------     firstly the mailpaths file:    K My original design was to store the moderator internet address of moderated M newsgroups in the data record of the newsgroup. This allowed the news manager O to supply the moderator address when a newsgroup was created, and all attempted H postings to that newsgroup would be re-directed as mail to the specified	 address.     M HOWEVER there was a problem with this approach - there is no automatic USENET M control mailing which lists the moderator addresses of moderated newsgroups!! K All the checkgroups posting contains is the binary information moderated or  unmoderated!!    H This led me into investigating the Unix approach - Unix uses a number ofK "backbone" sites. These backbone sites do contain an up-to-date list of the L moderators of all network newsgroups, and are also configured to forward allL moderated newsgroup postings on to the correct moderator. The scheme used inF addressing the moderator via a backbone site is one where a posting toN comp.net.animals (say) is directed to the address "comp-net-animals@backbone"    I The Unix approach is to use a config file "mailpaths". This file contains K newsgroup names, and the internet address of the moderator, 1 per line. The M "special" name "backbone" matches all newsgroups, and the address may contain N the string "%s", which requires the newsgroup name to be substituted, with '_'K replacing all '.' characters in the newsgroup name. The scan of the file is 
 first match.     I When a checkgroups message comes in, NEWS automatically creates a command K file and sends it to usenet for manual execution. This sets the "moderated" G status for each group which has the "(moderated)" phrase at the end of  I each line in the checkgroups list. Fine. The moderator name which results 1 appears to be set to "newsgroup-name@munnari.oz".    G Now this implies that each site does not need to maintain a list of net M newsgroup moderators - the backbone site will do all that - and also there is J no need to store the moderator address for each newsgroup - most moderatedM newsgroups will be addressed to the backbone site for forwarding. Therefore I L introduced the mailpaths file into VMS NEWS - on the basis that it is betterK that the management configuration of NEWS is as similar as possible between O Unix and VMS - in this way the VMS site can use the config files of an adjacent 6 Unix site for the initial configuration into the net.    L ----------------------------------------------------------------------------K Why then do I need the mailpaths. file? What's the relationship between the  two?J --------------------------------------------------------------------------   J Ok so the mailpaths file is used to determine the address of the moderator for moderated newsgroups.    M The news_post.cc file was introduced to address an anomoly in the USENET with L the INFOVAX list. As you may be aware some USENET newsgroups do not actuallyM originate on the USENET, but are "fed" from a ARPANET (or BITNET, UUNET, ...) N mailing list. This implies that any postings into the USENET newsgroup must beN also posted back to the original mailing list for correct distribution through7 the complete domain of subscribers to that conference.     N With comp.os.vms the back mailing of postings to the arpanet mailing list siteN was NOT being performed - postings into USENET would circulate only within theO USENET, and more than half of the full reader set would not get a copy. Now the G "standard" USENET solution, which would be to set up the newsgroup as a I moderated newsgroup, with the moderator address being the orginal mailing K distribution point, was not used for comp.os.vms, and this newsgroup was an  unmoderated newsgroup!!    J In response to this I introduced the .CC file, which would carbon copy anyM local postings in a nominated newsgroup to an internet address, and I used it  to include the entry: ! 	comp.os.vms 	info-vax@kl.sri.com J The effect was that postings to this newsgroup would circulate through theL USENET in the usual manner, but would also be mailed directly to the ARPANET% mailing point for wider distribution     N I have since found out that this "bug" in the setup of this newsgroup has beenK fixed, and that the entry for comp.os.vms is no longer required!! However I J have left the ability for the local newsmanager to set up carbon copies ofD local postings to be sent to a nominated address with the .CC file.    I ------------------------------------------------------------------------- = Where do unmoderated groups get their posting address set up? I -------------------------------------------------------------------------    B For network groups it is the responsibility of the backbone site -2 other sites do not need to carry this information.   L For locally defined newsgroups, then the moderator address needs to be added9 to the mailpaths file. This can be done with the command:      SET NEWSGROUP/MOD="address"    H ------------------------------------------------------------------------D From my research over the last day or two, I believe that mailpaths.K should be set up from the first part of the moderator list which is usually H sent to one of the NEWS administration newsgroups (news.admin), and thatC news_post.cc is set up from the second part of that moderator list.    J However, this list does nor seem to be exhaustive (comp.os.vms is missing,E perhaps others too). Is there a general rule about what gets on that  % moderator list and what is left off?  H ------------------------------------------------------------------------   A As I have intimated above, within australia, for those newsgroups F distributed throughout australia you should use the following entries:   # news_post.cc		- no entries required     mailpaths:		- 1 entry  	backbone	%s@munnari.oz       ; You may need further entries for locally defined newsgroups     	 F ----------------------------------------------------------------------G Thanks for your time. Its a pity an ANU NEWS mailing list doesn't exist / a la INFO-PMDF...it would be extremely welcome! F ----------------------------------------------------------------------   H I agree, but there are relevant considerations which, to date, have madeE this impossible. And I must admit I don't think that this will change " in the near future ... cest la vie      F ______________________________________________________________________O From:	VAX4::CHILL        "Ian Hill, Snr Education Programmer" 21-SEP-1988 17:18 R To:	VAX6::IN%"'PSI%AUSTPAC.0505249626002::SYSNET'@mail.curtin.edu.au",CHILL       4 Subj:	RE: Advice re moderator setup for ANU NEWS 5.4   I Now here's my own explanation of how things fit together...David Morrison I at Newcastle was having troubles with moderated newsgroups so we started  N working at it together via email. The following came out of a series of trials' and SEEMS to fit what actually happens.    Our news.sys is as follows:    4 vax3:world,sys,comp,sci,rec,news,misc,soc,talk,aus,\ curtin,junk,control,general::    @ The mailpaths. file is updated whenever you do a cre/news/mod or- change the moderator setting for a newsgroup.     Here's our file.     % curtin.test chill@admin.curtin.edu.au  backbone %s@munnari.oz   I The backbone line causes items for any moderated network newsgroups to be F sent to munnari.oz, with newsgroup names transformed by replacing all M periods by hyphens. This is done because they keep up-to-date moderator lists  (saves us the hassle!).    A Local moderated newsgroups get sent to the address next to their  . entry in mailpaths (we have only my test one).   F The tricky part is setting the moderator address. Firstly, you need toF set up your news_address.cnf file to correctly transform the addressesF news generates into addresses which pmdf/decnet can handle. Here's our news_address.cnf file:   % # this is an example address cnf file  *@acad.curtin.*  vax3::\001  *@admin.curtin.* vax4::\001  *@*       "in::""\001@\002"""  *::*      \001::\002 *         \001   I Note that mail from acad or admin nodes get sent to the particular decnet K node, while any other rfc822 style addresses get sent to in::"user@address" I So that our mail machine (which has PMDF on it) can correctly forward the 
 mail onwards.    I Now, When someone posts an item to a moderated newsgroup, it gets sent to I the moderator via mail. The moderator then extracts it, and posts it. As  E long as the moderator address is set to exactly (EXACTLY) the address J that news has dreamed up for the user (who is the moderator in this case), it will allow the posting.