HOSTS.NNTP(5)

NAME
       hosts.nntp,  hosts.nntp.nolimit  - list of hosts that feed
       NNTP news

DESCRIPTION
       The file /etc/news/hosts.nntp is read by  innd(8)  to  get
       the  list  of  hosts  that feed the local site Usenet news
       using the NNTP protocol.  The server reads  this  file  at
       start-up  or  when directed to by ctlinnd(8).  When a host
       connects to the NNTP port of the system on which  innd  is
       running, the server will do a check to see if their Inter-
       net address is the same as one of the hosts named in  this
       file.   If the host is not mentioned, then innd will spawn
       an nnrpd(8) to process the connection, with  the  accepted
       connection on standard input and standard output.

       Comments  begin  with  a  number sign (``#'') and continue
       through the end of the line.   Blank  lines  and  comments
       also  ignored.   All  other lines should consist of two or
       three fields separated by a colon.

       The first field should be either an  Internet  address  in
       dotted-quad  format  or  an  address that can be parsed by
       gethostbyname(3).   If  a  host's   entry   has   multiple
       addresses,  all  of them will be added to the access list.
       The second field, which may be blank, is the password  the
       foreign  host  is  required  to use when first connecting.
       The third field, which may be omitted, is a list of  news-
       groups  to which the host may send articles.  This list is
       parsed as a newsfeeds(5) subscription list; groups not  in
       the list are ignored.

       For example:
              ##  FOO has a password, UUNET and VIX dont.
              ##  UUNET cannot post to local groups.
              ##  These are comment lines.
              news.foo.com:magic
              uunet.uu.net::!foo.*
              data.ramona.vix.com:

       The first field may be suffixed by ``/s'' to indicate that
       streaming commands are specifically permitted to  be  used
       by  this host. By default streaming commands are available
       to all hosts. If any entry in hosts.nntp has a ``/s'' suf-
       fix,  then only those hosts with the ``/s'' suffix will be
       permitted to use streaming commands.

       For example, with the following hosts.nntp file, only  the
       host  data.ramona.vix.com  is allowed to use the streaming
       commands.
              ## As above, but
              news.foo.com:magic
              uunet.uu.net::!foo.*
              data.ramona.vix.com/s:

       Since innd is usually started at  system  boot  time,  the
       local  nameserver  may  not be fully operational when innd
       parses this file.  As a work-around, a ctlinnd  ``reload''
       command  can  be performed after a delay of an hour or so.
       It is also possible to provide both a host's name and  its
       dotted-quad address in the file.

       If  the  file  contains passwords, it should not be world-
       readable.  The file  /etc/news/hosts.nntp.nolimit,  if  it
       exists  is  read whenever the ``hosts.nntp'' file is read.
       It has the same format, although only the first  field  is
       used.   Any  host mentioned in this file is not subject to
       the incoming connections limit specified by innd's  ``-i''
       flag.   This can be used to allow local hosts or time-sen-
       sitive peers, to connect regardless of  the  local  condi-
       tions.

HISTORY
       Written  by  Rich  $alz lt;rsalz@uunet.uu.net for InterNet-
       News.  This is revision 1.22, dated 1996/11/27.

SEE ALSO
       ctlinnd(8) innd(8) nnrpd(8).