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

[noslzzp]

Questions/things to think about:

1. We have installed this awesome hack and we love it. We have noticed that for some UseNet posts, we are getting a large number of duplicate posts and sometimes duplicate thread entries. Has anyone else experienced this? I am not sure of what provides a "unique identifier" for each posts, but it gets to be a pain deleting dups.

2. We have multiple groups pulling down messages into ONE vB forum. If a user replies to a message, which group does it get sent to?


Tip:
===
If you have access to cron jobs, just do this to make the gateway run:

wget --quiet http://yoursite/forums/gateway.php

447k posts in 2 days. You gotta love it.

[kadafi_alive]

Hmm,

I have installed it and got Newshosting as the server.

However, when I run gateway.php, it just keeps loading. Nothing happens.

I checked the setlastmsg log and it says:

1 group(s) gatewayed. Connecting to server, server says: 201 NNRP unlimited.newshosting.com (fe47-unl) Service Ready - support@newshosting.com (no posting) Server responded after user name: 381 PASS required Server responded after password: 281 Ok Info for alt.bbc.the-net at unlimited.newshosting.com: 211 373 5855 6227 alt.bbc.the-net Logging in to unlimited.newshosting.com, group alt.bbc.the-net: Max: 6227 Min: 5855 Set last message id for 'alt.bbc.the-net' to 6207

but yet the screen keeps loading and its blank

[kadafi_alive]

I have managed to fix it however, it's WAY too slow.

To download 100 messages, it takes atleast 10 minutes even though I am using a premium pay usenet server.

[ukbill69]

Thanks for a great script!!!

One question please someone answer!!

When someone replies in a newgroup the message is formatted like this once posted:

>>whats the answer to this question
>>kind regards
>>bill

The reply here

Is there a way to make >> in a quote box?

[kadafi_alive]

Has anyone managed to download large groups without hanging?

[thedvs]

just upgraded to vb3.5.3

now my cron doesnt work & if i try to run it manually i get a

Fatal error: Call to a member function on a non-object in /forums/includes/functions_image.php on line 224

also when it does work the new topics dont show up on the forum display?

[moftary]

Originally Posted by KeKe

I'm trying to install in ASmallOrange hosting server.

When I run gateway.php?debug=1

All I get is:
*****
Gateway version 2.3.2 1 group(s) gatewayed.

Connecting to server, server says: 200 NNTP Service 6.0.3790.206 Version: 6.0.3790.206 Posting Allowed

Info for microsoft.public.windowsxp.general at msnews.microsoft.com: 211 53164 1 1442385 microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
*****

I have tried waiting for 10 minutes, nothing happens.

Should I ask my host to open any port or something?

I have tried in 3.0.7 with 2.3.2 AND 3.5.2 with 3.5. It gets stuck in the same gateway thing.

I think as you have successfully connected to the newsgroup server, this is not a closed port problem. AFAIK, there is no php function that you should enable/disable. For my configuration I just raised up the timeout value so the script dont timeout when importing thousands of usenet articles.

Sorry but I cannot be of much help.

[aranthorn]

Originally Posted by lierduh

The attachment is not fully working at the moment, please wait for next release.

Is there going to be a 'next release'? I'd love to install, but I'd like the attachments to work before installing

[aranthorn]

Well, I sorted out the attachments, now I just have to figure out the thumbnails.

Is this thing supported at all anymore? I understand that people get busy in life and can't always spend the time supporting donated code (thanks to all that do these modifications!), but a small note or unchecking the "Supported" box would end some of the confusion on what to expect.

Thanks for the hack, lierduh. It's a mammoth place to start tweaking from

[thedvs]

this not working for me in 3.5.3, yet was fine in 3.5.1