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.

[James T Brock]

Try running the gateway manually using the debug mode and see what message you get.

Also, if you host didn't change anything, maybe it's your new server?

[SaN-DeeP]

Originally Posted by James T Brock

Try running the gateway manually using the debug mode and see what message you get.

Also, if you host didn't change anything, maybe it's your new server?

This is the result on running it manually..
gateway.php?debug=1

 Gateway version 2.3.2  10 group(s) gatewayed.
Could not connect to NNTP-server. (Connection timed out (110))
Not connected
Not connected
Could not connect to NNTP-server. (Connection timed out (110))
Not connected
Not connected
Could not connect to NNTP-server. (Connection timed out (110))
Not connected
Not connected
Could not connect to NNTP-server. (Connection timed out (110))
Not connected
Not connected
Could not connect to NNTP-server. (Connection timed out (110))
Not connected
Not connected
Could not connect to NNTP-server. (Connection timed out (110))
Not connected
Not connected
Could not connect to NNTP-server. (Connection timed out (110))
Not connected
Not connected
Could not connect to NNTP-server. (Connection timed out (110))
Not connected
Not connected
Could not connect to NNTP-server. (Connection timed out (110))
Not connected
Not connected
Could not connect to NNTP-server. (Connection timed out (110))
Not connected
Not connected

[Nick0r]

Hi guys
what providers can you use for this, giganews just told me I can't use it with their $7 account.

[lierduh]

Originally Posted by James T Brock

How do I change the blue font color on the usenet quotes to a different color? Im using a black background, and it's kind of dark. What file do I have to edit in-order to change it?

Search for "blue" in the script and replace with something else.

[lierduh]

[QUOTE=mcncyo]last couple of days i am gettting this error

Invalid SQL: UPDATE forum
SET replycount = replycount + 1,
threadcount = threadcount + 1,
lastpost = '1101084923',
lastposter = 'Alexandr B.',
lastthread = 'tet',
lastthreadid = 10889
WHERE forumid IN ()

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 ')' at line 8

mysql error number: 1064

Date: Sunday 21st of November 2004 06:56:01 PM
Script: http://forum.*.com/gateway.php
Referer:
Username: Unregistered
IP Address: **.**.***.**

Something is corrupted. Either your script or one of the vB3 function files, or your database.

[jcrash]

Originally Posted by jcrash

Anyone else having problems with imported posts not getting added to the original thread and instead creating a NEW thread with the exact same title? This is getting to be a real bother.

Anyone?

[MovieMaster]

Any plans to add YENC decoding of attachments? As it stands now, this wont cut it with those, which is rapidly becoming the post method of choice for attachments.

[MovieMaster]

It also doesnt care for multipart messages (attachments in parts) see it fails on those as well. Is that the case, or is it just me?

[Electronic Punk]

I don't want to add the exclude list to the getnew function, but don't want the NNTP posts showing up on the getnew bit. How can I do this?
Thinking of creating a variable that I can add 55, 56 to and it will ignore new posts in these forums. Anyone get that?

Anyway, got this hack in private testing at the moment, but nearly there.
Sounds very cool indeed, just don't wanna let my members on it just yet in case I have overlooked something and spam real usenet users with my rubbish!!

Also is there any way that they can have the correct time stamps on? Currently they just all have the time they were actually imported!
Thanks, sweet hack

[lierduh]

Originally Posted by Electronic Punk

I don't want to add the exclude list to the getnew function, but don't want the NNTP posts showing up on the getnew bit. How can I do this?
Thinking of creating a variable that I can add 55, 56 to and it will ignore new posts in these forums. Anyone get that?

Also is there any way that they can have the correct time stamps on? Currently they just all have the time they were actually imported!
Thanks, sweet hack

1. Are you saying you do not want to modify the template but you don't mind modifying the php script? It is possible, but I don't see the point.

2. Please go through the settings, you will find the answer there.