From: flowers@memstvx1.memst.edu (Harry Flowers)
Newsgroups: news.software.anu-news
Subject: Re: Confused by distributions...
Date: 13 Oct 92 08:41:29 -0600
Organization: Memphis State University

In article <1992Oct12.182703.737@cmkrnl.com>, jeh@cmkrnl.com writes:
> In article <1992Oct9.172214.3598@memstvx1.memst.edu>,
> flowers@memstvx1.memst.edu (Harry Flowers) writes:
>> In article <1992Oct8.122428.716@cmkrnl.com>, jeh@cmkrnl.com writes:
>>> With NEWS 6.1, NEWS.DISTRIBUTION is obsolete; its functions are
>>> available through syntax in the NEWS.SYS entries.  
>> 
>> I don't see anything different in the syntax of the lines in NEWS.SYS in
>> V6.1B5.  Is there another field, as yet undocumented?
>> 
>> As to why I'm still using a NEWS.DISTRIBUTION file, some of my news
>> neighbors are also neighbors with each other, and exchange news faster
>> than with my site.  So, anything I get from either of the neighbors
>> just wastes time and resources offering it to the other site.  I use
>> NEWS.DISTRIBUTION to avoid sending IHAVE messages for news between
>> adjacent sites through our system.
> 
> From an article by Bob Sloane:
> 
>> Newsgroups: news.software.anu-news
>> Subject: Re: Help with news.distribution?
>> Message-ID: <1991Dec2.105420.36038@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu>
>> From: sloane@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu (Bob Sloane)
>> Date: 2 Dec 91 10:54:20 CST
>> 
>> As of V6.0(-??) the NEWS.DISTRIBUTION file is obsolete. Its functionality has
>> been replace by the ability to exclude systems in the NEWS.SYS file using the
>> construct: 
>> 
>> remote/system1,system2:
>> 
>> in NEWS.SYS. The above says to send accepted articles to the system
>> remote, unless they have passed through system1 or system2.
> 
> [e.g., given a NEWS.DISTRIBUTION file containing]
> 
>> > 	maccs	pcagena,allin1,hfassc
>> > 	pcagena	maccs,allin1,hfassc
>> > 	allin1	maccs,pcagena,hfassc
>> > 	hfassc	maccs,pcagena,allin1
>> 
>> Change your NEWS.SYS file to:
>> 
>> maccs/pcagena,allin1,hfassc:...
>> pcagena/maccs,allin1,hfassc:...
>> allin1/maccs,pcagena,hfassc:...
>> hfassc/maccs,pcagena,allin1:...

I thought that, in NEWS.SYS, the node names were those of news *not* to
pass news between.  Whereas, in NEWS.DISTRIBUTION, it's a list of nodes
to send to.  So, in the above example, news is being passed to all nodes
other than the originator.  So the NEWS.SYS shouldn't need entries for

>> maccs/pcagena,allin1,hfassc:...

which would mean that maccs wouldn't get news from pcagena, allin1, or
hfassc (the opposite of what the NEWS.DISTRIBUTION specified), but, rather,

maccs/maccs:...

>> pcagena/maccs,allin1,hfassc:...
>> allin1/maccs,pcagena,hfassc:...
>> hfassc/maccs,pcagena,allin1:...

and likewise for these.

>> and you can get rid of your NEWS.DISTRIBUTION file.  Of course, the
>> system names used in NEWS.SYS must match exactly what that system puts
>> in the Path: header.
>> -- 
>> USmail: Bob Sloane, University of Kansas Computer Center, Lawrence, KS, 66045
>> E-mail: sloane@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu, sloane@ukanvax.bitnet, AT&T: (913)864-0444 
> 
> 	--- Jamie Hanrahan, Kernel Mode Consulting, San Diego CA
> uucp 'g' protocol guru and release coordinator, VMSnet (DECUS uucp) W.G., and 
> Chair, VMS Programming and Internals Working Group, U.S. DECUS VAX Systems SIG 
> Internet:  jeh@cmkrnl.com, hanrahan@eisner.decus.org, or jeh@crash.cts.com
> Uucp:  ...{crash,eisner,uunet}!cmkrnl!jeh
--
Harry Flowers                           Internet: FLOWERS@MEMSTVX1.MEMST.EDU
Memphis State University                & Bitnet: FLOWERS@MEMSTVX1