NNTP Gateway for Usenet ( Newsgroups ), Mailing Lists

The latest version: V3.5.0Alpha 1 (21 Jul 2005)

What is it?

This hack provides a gateway from vBulletin forums to the USENET. It allows forum members to read newsgroup messages as well as to send posts to the newsgroups. In a nutshell, it turns vBulletin forums into a basic function news reader.

For an added bonus, this package also supports mailing list archive and forum to mailing list gateway. The software retrieves messages from a pop3 account and import them into the forums threaded. It also allows a forums user to send messages to the mailing list by the forum posting interface.

Why?

The gateway will be appreciated by forum members who do not know how to set up a news reader, or people who do not have port 119 open in their network. A forum interface to read and post news are often considered to be better than a news reader.

The gateway adds more contents to your forums and allows the members to interact with wider audience. It is common to see new users signing up to use this feature.

History

This hack was originally coded by Gilby for vB2. I modified the hack to work with vB3 and have been maintaining and improving the hack. I have now done the modification for this to work with vB3.5.

The very original hack by Gilby can be found here:

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthrea...7&page=1&pp=15

The vB3 version can be found here:

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=65152

Features

Some of the features and improvement include:

• Handles both newsgroup posts and mailing lists.
• Handles MIME encoded messages and attachment.
• Handles UUEncoded messages.
• Two Admin Control Panels for all settings.
• Automated installation.
• Correct thread implementation. All imported messages and posts sent to newsgroups will be threaded correctly according to References and Message-ID headers.
• Optional setting to thread by subject for mailing lists that strip references header.
• Imported messages will be searchable just like normal forum posts.
• Similar threads are built when the messages are imported if the system setting is on.
• Multiple attachments importing.
• Save attachment to database or file according to vB setting.
• Thumbnail created while importing image files.
• Multiple attachment post to newsgroup is also supported.
• Selectable X-No-Archive header honouring system.
• Light on system resources.
• Global Killfile to filter out unwanted messages. Killfiles can have OR and AND effectiveness.
• Strip footer by setting for incoming messages. Strips out repeated message footers.
• Built options to disable signatures and footers for out going messages.

Future development

• Traditional "> " lead posting interface.

What do you need and do not need?

You do not need to edit vB php files.
No need to manually run SQL.

Installation

Basically the AdminCP interfaces take care of installation as well as upgrade in the background. Back up your database first. The scripts can modify your database without alerting you!

Please follow the instructions in the readme.txt file for more details.

It is not a must to click "INSTALL" for this hack if you use it, I do try better answering the questions from people who do.

Support

Please post your support questions to this thread. Please check the FAQ in the second post within this thread first. It may be surprising, but it is possible your question is answered in the adminCP NNTP settings.

Please always provide more details about your problem. Examples and debug messages will certainly help. Well, if you don't even try to have some effort to compose your question, the answer you get may also not include much effort.

================== UPDATES ======================
Jul 21 2005 (release version 3.5.0 Alpha 1)

AdminCP xml file is written by Kadence.

• Ported to work with vB3.5.
• Existing bug fixes.
• Debug message can be sent by email or logged in vB Tast Scheduler.
• Known problem: image attachment thumb nail creation still needs work.
• Needs to be done: Documentation.

Quick installation instruction:
1) Upload files to their correct directory
2) Enter AdminCP, click on NNTP Settings once to install/upgrade. Change settings to your like.
3) Click on NNTP Groups once to install/upgrade.
3a) For new install. Run once
http://www.yourdomain.com/setlastmsg.php

Delete this file afterwards.
If you are upgrading from an older version. There is no need to upload this file. Actually this file should not be there except brand new install.

4)
Manually run in debug mode: http://forums.yourdomain.com/gateway.php?debug=1

[dodgez]

Originally Posted by ExpertDomino

Should this be tried on a Live Board.............can anyone show me a working demo?

http://gt500forums.com/testvb/index.php

[dodgez]

Originally Posted by Cyburbia

Okay ... it seems to work in IE, but not Mozilla Firefox.

Just a question: has anyone gotten this to work with Yahoo Groups? Here's what I'm using:

Newsgroup/Mailing list E-mail: [nameofgroup]@yahoogroups.com
(the e-mail address a subscriber can use to send a message to the entire group.
Server: cyburbia.org
User name (only if required): [gateway email address used as email address+cyburbia.org]
(as listed for "Email Address - Choose the email address that you would like group messages sent to. My Web host requires you to put "+domainname.tld" at the end of user names for retrieving and sending e-mail.)
Password: [POP password]

I have the same problem as you. It just shows the html. I haven't tried it in IE tho...

Yahoo uses domain keys so you may have problems sending to their groups. I pull from them fine tho.

[dodgez]

Originally Posted by dodgez

admin <admin.1svs8r@test>, UNEXPECTED_DATA_AFTER_ADDRESS@.SYNTAX-ERROR.

It didn't send it as my typed in e-mail address. This is on RC1 also.

Why is it send it as admin.1svs8r@test? I think this is why I can't send to yahoo groups....

[klaus]

Everything seems to work fine....

But attachments are ignored.
My settings: "Skip attachments no_attach 0"

"Thread found by Subject.
This forum does not allow attachments, therefore attachment ignored."

If I post in the forum directly I can post attachments fine. I use filesystem for my attachments by the way, not sure if that matters. Any ideas ?

[wattieuk]

does anyone have any server settings I could use. I am on AOL and they dont allow you access to newsgroups. Cheers

[lierduh]

Originally Posted by custsrvcrep

Hi Lierduh,
two questions:

1. How involved is the upgrade path from 3.0.x to 3.5.x with your usenet hack installed? It runs great on the old version and I'm not excited about the change but realize I need to upgrade

In other words - what is the best path? Ignore usenet hack; upgrade to 3.5.x (upon final release); THEN install revised usenet hack? If that is true, is there any affect to the database since the hack has added various fields?

OR ???


2. Have you ever integrated an automatic scheduled pruning of usenet posted messages?

Thank you.

Just upgrade to vB3.5, you may like to turn off cron job for the gateway during the upgrade.

Upload all the new gateway file, go to AdminCP and open the settings page once, it will upgrade the gateway in the background. No database conflict has been encountered.

No, I do not have any scheduled pruning happening. Our hardware should be able to handle heaps more posts, so there is no need at the moment. However I have read in the past at least one of the gateway users has something like this.

[Cyburbia]

Originally Posted by dodgez

Yahoo uses domain keys so you may have problems sending to their groups. I pull from them fine tho.

Would domainkeys really be a problem? Mail is sent to the list from my domain, with my domain's address.

I might set up a normal experimental listserv to see if I can get integration working there.

[lierduh]

Originally Posted by Cyburbia

Would domainkeys really be a problem? Mail is sent to the list from my domain, with my domain's address.

I might set up a normal experimental listserv to see if I can get integration working there.

You will have problem if the hosts has implemented user name and password for the SMTP server. The gateway uses php's built-in mail() function to send emails. It uses the default SMTP server on the web server.

The server/username/password settings are for pop3 only.

You can enter your own email address at "Newsgroup/Mailing list E-mail". The emails should be sent to you instead of the mailing list if you do this.

[Cyburbia]

Originally Posted by lierduh

You can enter your own email address at "Newsgroup/Mailing list E-mail". The emails should be sent to you instead of the mailing list if you do this.

Just tried it. Posted, reran the script, and ... nothing's reaching me from the gateway by e-mail.

Here's my debug message.

Gateway version 2.3.2 1 group(s) gatewayed.
Successfully connected to the 'cyburbia.org' pop3 server.
Retrieving 0 E-mails from the 'cyburbia.org' pop3 server.

Nothing about sending e-mail from the group to the list.
You said:

You will have problem if the hosts has implemented user name and password for the SMTP server. The gateway uses php's built-in mail() function to send emails. It uses the default SMTP server on the web server.

If that's the case, how come vBulletin's account validation, PM notification, subscription notification and other messages get out?

I can't find the string "smtp" anywhere in any of the extension scripts, FWIW. Again, if vBulletin can connect and send through a SMTP server that has username and password implemented (if that's the case with me; I'm not positive, but like I said, I've had no problem with vBulletin validation and notification messages getting out), your script should be able to do the same. I think.

I do appreciate the work you've put into the script. I only wish I could get it to communicate in both directions.

[lierduh]

Have you had any new posts in the forums before you run the gateway? Because your debug message does not mention about "Posting Message".

If you had, then the script must have crashed due to some reason. You can find the error from the web log.

You won't find smtp in the scripts. If you need more info about mail(), please check:

http://php.mirrors.ilisys.com.au/man...ction.mail.php

Last, is your web server Windows based, or *nix based? What is your smtp setting in the php.ini if it is windows based.

Originally Posted by Cyburbia

Just tried it. Posted, reran the script, and ... nothing's reaching me from the gateway by e-mail.

Here's my debug message.

Gateway version 2.3.2 1 group(s) gatewayed.
Successfully connected to the 'cyburbia.org' pop3 server.
Retrieving 0 E-mails from the 'cyburbia.org' pop3 server.

Nothing about sending e-mail from the group to the list.
You said:



If that's the case, how come vBulletin's account validation, PM notification, subscription notification and other messages get out?

I can't find the string "smtp" anywhere in any of the extension scripts, FWIW. Again, if vBulletin can connect and send through a SMTP server that has username and password implemented (if that's the case with me; I'm not positive, but like I said, I've had no problem with vBulletin validation and notification messages getting out), your script should be able to do the same. I think.

I do appreciate the work you've put into the script. I only wish I could get it to communicate in both directions.