Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 (MU) 9/23/84; site munnari.OZ
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!genrad!decvax!mulga!munnari!kre
From: kre@munnari.OZ (Robert Elz)
Newsgroups: net.news.adm
Subject: Re: admins-- please READ!
Message-ID: <617@munnari.OZ>
Date: Tue, 25-Dec-84 06:30:13 EST
Article-I.D.: munnari.617
Posted: Tue Dec 25 06:30:13 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 26-Dec-84 04:21:09 EST
References: <2107@nsc.UUCP>
Reply-To: kre@munnari.OZ (Robert Elz)
Organization: Comp Sci, Melbourne Uni, Australia
Lines: 64

In article <2107@nsc.UUCP> chuqui@nsc.UUCP (Chuqui Q. Koala) writes:
| 
| A related problem is with sites that are passing specific topics to
| some other place. This example is WRONG and will not properly forward
| all messages:
| 
|     ME:net,fa,mod,usa,na,to::
|     THEM:net.unix-wizards::
| 
| The reason this is wrong is that 2.10.2 now requires the "Distribution:"
| line in headers of messages being posted. If you send out a message with
| the headers:
| 
|     Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards
|     Distribution: net
| 
| your sys file with match the "Newsgroups:" line but it will NOT match
| the line for the "Distribution:". Because of this, large numbers of
| articles are not being sent when (or where) they should be.

This is only true for 2.10.1 (and earlier?) - the example works
fine if you are running 2.10.2.  2.10.2 matches the Distribution
against the newsgroups, if the Distribution adds no "new information"
as in the postulated case, it is ignored.  Unfortunately, it
doesn't delete the Distribution line (probably it should, I posted
a mod which will do almost that at the posting site - see
<609@munnari.OZ> in net.news.b or net.sources.bugs).

It also not true that 2.10.2 *requires* Distribution lines, it
simply supplies them by default, and doesn't let you leave the
Distribution empty while you're in the prompting stage of
postnews.  However, you can easily delete the Distribution line
while you're in the editor, 2.10.2 will respect your wishes, and
work fine.

Chuq continues...
|							      The correct
| way of handling this in the sys file is:
| 
|     ME:net,fa,mod,usa,na,to::
|     THEM:net,net.unix-wizards::

This MUST have been a typo, I'm sure Chuq means

	ME:net,fa,mod,usa,na,to::
	THEM:net,!net.all,net.unix-wizards::

Chuq's version would have you sending everything!

| 
| Please, PLEASE update your sys file!

I concur.  Please do!  An alternative is to install the
mod I posted to net.news.b and net.sources.bugs <609@munnari.OZ>
which has the effect of updating the 2.10.1 handling of
Distribution lines to operate like 2.10.2 does.
You will find updating your sys file easier, and quicker,
to do, except possibly if you send limited newsgroups to
a lot of sites.

See my article <616@munnari.OZ> in net.news.b, and the
articles it references, for more discussion of this problem.

Robert Elz				decvax!mulga!kre