NNTP Gateway for Usenet ( Newsgroups ), Mailing Lists

The latest version: V2.3.2 (31 Oct 2004)

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 is basically a hacked vB2 NNTP gateway written by Gilby to work with vB3. The original hack can be found here:

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


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.
• Supports TABLE_PREFIX.
• 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

• AdminCP interfaces. (completed)
• Installation/upgrade script. (completed, coded into AdminCP)
• Traditional "> " lead posting interface.

What do you need and do not need?

You do not need to edit vB php files if you use two bookmarks
You need to edit one vB php file to insert two lines of code if you want direct click links within AdminCP.
No need to 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.

Support

Please post your support questions to this thread. Please check the FAQ in the third post within this thread first.

================== UPDATES ======================
Jul 31 2004 (release version 2.2.0)

• Provided option of not importing attachments
• Provided option of pause between messages
• Provided option of not sending messages to USENET
• Provided mechanism to skip importing a message if it was crashed on it
• Provided "Default Footer" option
• Provided strip_footer function for mailing lists
  (written originally by KevinM)
• Provided Killfile functions with Header/Body/AND/OR settings
• Provided ability to thread messages by subject for mailing lists
• Provided ability to use a single POP3 account for different mailing lists
  (use prefix)
• Merged KevinM's attachment routine, save thumbnail to hard drive
  as vB3.0.3
• Official support to have the script run by Scheduled Tasks
• Many bug fixes

Please note, when you manually run the script, you must turn on the debug mode. Otherwise nothing will be displayed on the screen.

To run as debug mode: http://forums.yourdomain.com/gateway.php?debug=1

25 Oct 2004

• Provided the option of sending posts using the real email address
• Provided the option of sending posts using a fixed email address for
  each group.
• Posts are now held back if they are in the moderating queue
• Scheduled task log is now working
• Provided the option of sending the debug messages to the vB3 cron log
• Bug fixes

31 Oct 2004

Fixed bugs running the gateway by the vB3 Scheduled Tasks

1 March 2004

Uploaded the new zip file. It contains one or two bug fixes.

[Odoin]

This could have been asked before however searching through all these pages was taking a long time.

I just installed the mod on 3.0.3 and I get this error:

Gateway version 2.2.1 1 group(s) gatewayed. Could not connect to NNTP-serverNot connectedNot connected 
 

There seems to have been a slight problem with the Domain.com.com database.
Please try again by pressing the refresh button in your browser.

An E-Mail has been dispatched to our Technical Staff, who you can also contact if the problem persists.

We apologise for any inconvenience.

Database error in vBulletin 3.0.3:

Invalid SQL: UPDATE nntp_settings
		SET value = 
		WHERE varname = 'last_postid'
mysql error: You have an error in your SQL syntax.  Check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near 'WHERE varname = 'last_postid'' at line 3

mysql error number: 1064

Date: Sunday 05th of September 2004 11:30:22 PM
Script: http://www.domain.com/gateway.php?debug=1
Referer: 
Username: Mark
IP Address: *

I run a older verion of this mod for 3.0.1 on the same server (different domain and site). Any help on this?

Thank you for your time.

Mark

[lierduh]

Originally Posted by Odoin

Gateway version 2.2.1 1 group(s) gatewayed. Could not connect to NNTP-serverNot connectedNot connected 
 

There seems to have been a slight problem with the Domain.com.com database.

Mark

Have you set up properly with correct database, news servers?

It mentioned about "Domain.com.com", is this your database name?

[Odoin]

Well it installs it self the first time you click on the settings table correct?

I changed the DB and URL so no search engine would not pick it up.

I wish I could find the old version I used because it works great other then a few DB errors I get via cron once or twice a week.

Thank you for your time.

Mark

[venomx]

I would use this but I only have my ISP news server and it only allows access from my ISPs IP....
Plus my hosting server only has ssh no telnet...

[Andy R]

I would like to pull the Usenet threads and place them in more specific forums (categories). The ultimate solution for me would be the ability to reply from any forum back to the usenet if that is where the post is from. Is this possible?

[xb_]

Hey lierduh

Could you have a look at the attached email? On my board it imports the message, it seems to skip the .htm attachement, and the .zip attachement is(partially) inserted into the message instead of as an attachement.

Thanks in advance.

[xb_]

Originally Posted by xb_

Hey lierduh

Could you have a look at the attached email? On my board it imports the message, it seems to skip the .htm attachement, and the .zip attachement is(partially) inserted into the message instead of as an attachement.

Thanks in advance.

I just thought of that i don't have the .htm added as an allowed attachement. Which happened quiet often to me (forget adding attachements types).
Isn't there a way to circumvent the vB attachement types setting with this hack ? It would save alot if so i guess. I'm also not sure about if i even want all members to post the same attachement types that *can* be attached in emails.

[lierduh]

Originally Posted by xb_

Hey lierduh

Could you have a look at the attached email? On my board it imports the message, it seems to skip the .htm attachement, and the .zip attachement is(partially) inserted into the message instead of as an attachement.

Thanks in advance.

Are you using the latest mime.php from the first page?

The attached file could be a virus. (sexygirl.zip)
The html is not an attachment, it is simply the html version of the text message.

[lierduh]

Originally Posted by organic-hosting

I would like to pull the Usenet threads and place them in more specific forums (categories). The ultimate solution for me would be the ability to reply from any forum back to the usenet if that is where the post is from. Is this possible?

The question here is: which one goes into which forum? you need to at least
have some sort of criteria.

[xb_]

Originally Posted by lierduh

Are you using the latest mime.php from the first page?

The attached file could be a virus. (sexygirl.zip)
The html is not an attachment, it is simply the html version of the text message.

I'm aware of the possible virus, but that is no problem for the members that can access the forum.

I did not use the additional mime.php yet. Only the files from your latest release in the .zip. But even without it, shouldn't it be posting the message with those =3D type characters from m$ products?

Eitherway i will upload the newer mime.php.