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

[t3nt3tion]

Anyone have a list of killfile strings to stop spam and adult posts getting in ?

[dicot]

Originally Posted by dicot

Exactly what does the ISP need to do to get rid of the UTF-8 garbage in the user name? Edit the php.ini, install something? They say i need to edit my php file... when others asked y'all sat they need to do something.

Finally figured it out - IMAP extension needed to be installed in PHP. In my testing, i reran setup to install that extension.

[toibs]

Aww rats!!

Have been running this on an older server of mine for the last year or so, with no problems at all. Only using the listing tho, not posting to the groups in question.

However preparing a new server, and setting this up again. Have installed the files etc etc no problems. However when i run http://www.xxx.com/gateway.php?debug=1 on the new system, i get a complete blank page. If i run setmessage.php on the new server, this connects and runs no problems.

It seems to be configured exactly the same as the old server. The only differences i can guess are that this runs on a newer version of centos/php, however i cant see that actually stopping this running.

anyone any advice on things to try??

Thanks
Paul

[toibs]

Update - All seems to be working now. However i seem to be getting double posts - not on the headers, however on the content!! Any advice on how i can either remove them or preferably not get them to start with??

Thanks
Paul

[Rik Brown]

Update - All seems to be working now. However i seem to be getting double posts - not on the headers, however on the content!! Any advice on how i can either remove them or preferably not get them to start with??

See post #643 of this same thread for a mysql query by Wayne Luke:

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showpost....&postcount=643

I hope that helps. I use it often.

Regards. -- Rik

[TMM-TT]

Originally Posted by toibs

Update - All seems to be working now. However i seem to be getting double posts - not on the headers, however on the content!! Any advice on how i can either remove them or preferably not get them to start with??

Thanks
Paul

Do you mean ALL POSTS or only the posts that are being sent to usenet?

The most common reason of dupes (those of being sent TO usenet) is the fact that something is misconfigured. Like the posting organization for example, in the sent message.

[Ricsca]

For vbulletin 3.8.x ????

Thanks

[Simon Lloyd]

Originally Posted by Ricsca

For vbulletin 3.8.x ????

Thanks

It works fine "out of the box" for 3.8.x however there is some deprecated code in the scripts.

[toibs]

ahh - maybe a problem.

Just changed news hosts, and it seems like this doesnt want to retrieve posts any more.

This is what i get...

Gateway version 2.3.2  1 group(s) gatewayed.

Connecting to server, server says: 201 unlimited.newshosting.com (fe04.ams) NNRP Service Ready - support@newshosting.com (no posting)

Server responded after user name: 381 PASS required

Server responded after password: 281 Ok

Info for rec.games at news.ams.newshosting.com: 211 279425 1239508 1518932 rec.games

I dont spose something silly like the "last message" number will be different on different hosts would it?? Anything anyone could suggest?

Have verified this on two different boxes & installations...

thx
Paul

[TMM-TT]

Originally Posted by toibs

ahh - maybe a problem.

Just changed news hosts, and it seems like this doesnt want to retrieve posts any more.

This is what i get...

Gateway version 2.3.2  1 group(s) gatewayed.

Connecting to server, server says: 201 unlimited.newshosting.com (fe04.ams) NNRP Service Ready - support@newshosting.com (no posting)

Server responded after user name: 381 PASS required

Server responded after password: 281 Ok

Info for rec.games at news.ams.newshosting.com: 211 279425 1239508 1518932 rec.games

I dont spose something silly like the "last message" number will be different on different hosts would it?? Anything anyone could suggest?

Have verified this on two different boxes & installations...

thx
Paul

Did you change to a totally new server, you have to check the last-message (or reset it). If you want to do it the hard way, look at the forum what post that was the last. Then open a regular newsreader for the new server, find that post and get Xref from the header. That's the id of the last message. If it's a crosspost, you should use the id for the group that you are importing. Then put that id into the settings for the group you want to continue fetch posts from.