NAME

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

DESCRIPTION

     The file /usr/local/news/etc/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 Internet
     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  con-
     nection 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 newsgroups 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'' suffix,
     then only those hosts with the ``/s'' suffix will be permit-
     ted 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 /usr/local/news/etc/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-
     sensitive  peers,  to connect regardless of the local condi-
     tions.

HISTORY

     Written by Rich $alz <rsalz@uunet.uu.net> for  InterNetNews.
     This is revision 1.22, dated 1996/11/27.

SEE ALSO

     ctlinnd(8), innd(8), nnrpd(8).