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.

[jcrash]

Hey, I've been using this for a few months and everything was good.

Then about a week ago, I started getting this error message when the import would run:

Getting message number 689792: /home/pokerpla/bin/cron_gateway_script.sh: line 3: 24708 Segmentation fault php gateway.php

Any help is appreciated.

EDIT - I downloaded the new interface and used that to set the max message to 689800. That did NOT fix the problem. Now I just get this from my cron job:

/home/pokerpla/bin/cron_gateway_script.sh: line 3: 32493 Segmentation fault php gateway.php

MORE INFO: If I try to manually run gateway.php?debug=1 I get a blank white page...no error, no text...it just is blank.


Still More info: After Setting the number even higher, it imported a bunch of posts, but my cron email which usually looks like this:

X-Powered-By: PHP/4.3.7
Expires: Mon, 26 Jul 1997 05:00:00 GMT
Last-Modified: Wed, 29 Sep 2004 07:27:01 GMT
Cache-Control: no-store, no-cache, must-revalidate
Cache-Control: private, post-check=0, pre-check=0
Pragma: no-cache
Set-Cookie: bblastvisit=1096442821; expires=Thu, 29-Sep-05 07:27:01 GMT; path=/
Set-Cookie: bblastactivity=1096439221; expires=Thu, 29-Sep-05 07:27:01 GMT; path=/
Content-Type: text/plain

1 group(s) gatewayed.
Logging in to news.athenanews.com, group rec.gambling.poker
Getting message number 689621: Thread found; 'Re: The Empire $500 Bonus....' from Dave L

Instead, looked like this:

X-Powered-By: PHP/4.3.9
Content-Type: text/plain
Expires: Mon, 26 Jul 1997 05:00:00 GMT
Last-Modified: Wed, 06 Oct 2004 16:27:00 GMT
Cache-Control: no-store, no-cache, must-revalidate
Cache-Control: private, post-check=0, pre-check=0
Pragma: no-cache
Set-Cookie: ; path=/
Set-Cookie: bblastvisit=1097080020; expires=Thu, 06-Oct-05 16:27:00 GMT; path=/
Set-Cookie: bblastactivity=1097080020; expires=Thu, 06-Oct-05 16:27:00 GMT; path=/


                    $c1 = (ord(substr($str[$i],$pos+1,1)) ^ 0x20);
                    $file .= chr(((($c0 - ' ') & 077) << 2) | ((($c1 - ' ') & 077) >> 4));

                }
            }
            $files[] = array('filename' => $filename, 'fileperm' => $fileperm, 'filedata' => $file);
        }

        return $files;
    }


}

/*
 * Local Variables:
 * tab-width: 4
 * c-basic-offset: 4
 * End:
 */

?>
<br />
<b>Warning</b>:  Unknown modifier 'b' in <b>/home/pokerpla/public_html/forums/gateway.php</b> on line <b>346</b><br />
<br />
<b>Warning</b>:  Unknown modifier '>' in <b>/home/pokerpla/public_html/forums/gateway.php</b> on line <b>346</b><br />
<br />
<b>Warning</b>:  Unknown modifier 'a' in <b>/home/pokerpla/public_html/forums/gateway.php</b> on line <b>346</b><br />
/home/pokerpla/bin/cron_gateway_script.sh: line 3:  7348 Killed                  php gateway.php

[Lord Brar]

Wow. This hack sounds very intersting... I am gonna install it tommorow!

[jcrash]

While trying to solve my problem (see above) - I note that I cannot run the gateway from a browser - I just get a blank white page.

Give it a try:

[Andy R]

Did you try to re-upload gateway.php? It seems that it might have gotten corrupted?[QUOTE=jcrash]While trying to solve my problem (see above) - I note that I cannot run the gateway from a browser - I just get a blank white page.

[SaN-DeeP]

lierduh now i am confused, though posting the results above i saw it works, a few of the threads my members are replying to, dont get added to NNTP Server. I cannot get debug logs for same..

Those threads are still present on my forums, but dont appear on USENET. any ideaz ?
this problem was also reported to by few of members who have installed this hack and they gave up its use.. but i want to use the same.. :disappointed:

Regards,

[jcrash]

Originally Posted by organic-hosting

Did you try to re-upload gateway.php? It seems that it might have gotten corrupted?

Yes, I HAD tried that, but it didn't work.

However, I just redownloaded the file and reuploaded it and now it works BUT - it still starts the output like this:


$c1 = (ord(substr($str[$i],$pos+1,1)) ^ 0x20);
$file .= chr(((($c0 - ' ') & 077) << 2) | ((($c1 - ' ') & 077) >> 4));

}
}
$files[] = array('filename' => $filename, 'fileperm' => $fileperm, 'filedata' => $file);
}

return $files;
}


}

/*
* Local Variables:
* tab-width: 4
* c-basic-offset: 4
* End:
*/

?>
Gateway version 2.2.1 1 group(s) gatewayed.

Connecting to server, server says: 200 216.128.74.129

Server responded after user name: 381 Helo adx785 password required

Server responded after password: 281 Authorization accepted

Info for rec.gambling.poker at news.athenanews.com:
211 40171 653980 698762 rec.gambling.poker selected

Getting message number 693666:
'Playing Style Favors Limit or No-Limit?' from Jeff Goslin. New thread.


As you can see, it did download files, but that stuff at that top doesn't look like it belongs.

Worse yet, it didn't ask me to login...isn't that bad?

[lierduh]

Originally Posted by wflynn

Info for rec.gambling.poker at news.giganews.com:
211 374481 554640 929120 rec.gambling.poker

Your NNTP server says posting is prohibited!Posting Message '$100 Free - Just For Posting In Our Forums!' from pokerpartys. Result: 440 posting not allowed500 syntax error or unknown command

What do you think my easiest fix is?

As you see, the server says posting is prohibited! There is nothing I can help. You may need to pay them to post?

[lierduh]

Originally Posted by SaN-DeeP

here is another log, requested a few users to post / reply some threads in those forums:

 
Posting Message 'Re: querry about firefox' from sachin21. Result: 340 Continue posting - terminate with period441 (629) Article Rejected -- Ill-formed message id '<sachin21.1dne0o@tech-arena@DoNotSpam.com>' in field 'Message-ID:'

As the server says: Article rejected, due to a wrong Message ID (has two @ signs!)

[lierduh]

Originally Posted by jcrash

Yes, I HAD tried that, but it didn't work.

However, I just redownloaded the file and reuploaded it and now it works BUT - it still starts the output like this:


$c1 = (ord(substr($str[$i],$pos+1,1)) ^ 0x20);
$file .= chr(((($c0 - ' ') & 077) << 2) | ((($c1 - ' ') & 077) >> 4));

}
}
$files[] = array('filename' => $filename, 'fileperm' => $fileperm, 'filedata' => $file);
}

return $files;
}


}

/*
* Local Variables:
* tab-width: 4
* c-basic-offset: 4
* End:
*/

?>
Gateway version 2.2.1 1 group(s) gatewayed.

Connecting to server, server says: 200 216.128.74.129

Server responded after user name: 381 Helo adx785 password required

Server responded after password: 281 Authorization accepted

Info for rec.gambling.poker at news.athenanews.com:
211 40171 653980 698762 rec.gambling.poker selected

Getting message number 693666:
'Playing Style Favors Limit or No-Limit?' from Jeff Goslin. New thread.


As you can see, it did download files, but that stuff at that top doesn't look like it belongs.

Worse yet, it didn't ask me to login...isn't that bad?

Have you re-uploaded other files? such as mime.php etc. Or you just uploaded gateway.php again?

[lierduh]

As a common courtesy, please do not ask for private help or support. As most if not all code hackers, I only provide support in the thread when time permits. I am quite busy at the moment, so please understand, do not email me or PM me.