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.

[jarosciak]

Ok, somehow I got it to work.
Problem now is that it will grab 10-15 posts in like 5 seconds and then it stops, refreshes the page and displays:

Another instance of gateway.php is running, try again in 30 minutes if the script was crashed.

Anyone else had this problem and can help?

Joe

[tpearl5]

I have no idea why, but all a suddent I've been getting this error message on gateway:
Could not connect to NNTP-server. (Connection timed out (110))

I use newshosting and just tried giganews. Getting the same errors. What could be causing this? I can login fine using a regular news reader.

[anonscape]

Is anyone using this great mod with a free usenet service? I notice that several peple are using the paid for service at Giganews but is there a free news provider that would work ok with this hack?

TIA for your help.

[TMM-TT]

Originally Posted by anonscape

Is anyone using this great mod with a free usenet service? I notice that several peple are using the paid for service at Giganews but is there a free news provider that would work ok with this hack?

TIA for your help.

If you're still interested you can send me a PM, so I can set up a testingaccount for you at news.tornevall.net

[vol_freak]

anyone running this with 3.6 yet?

[woodp]

Ignore this post, I'm running vB3.6.4 and shouldn't have posted here.

[kjhkjh]

ok if someone could help and forgive my ignorance on this then i'd appreciate it.

I have installed the hack and have changed the settings in the admincp for the newsgroups. the bit that I'm stuck on is the server for the nntp.

Now say that I have a usenet group that i want to connect to "alt.uk.------"

What do I put in as the server. The example given in the readme is msnews.microsoft.com but surely it has to be something relevant to the alt.uk.----- group?

Do I have to find this from the person who started this usenet group?
Do I have to ask their permission to connect my vb forum to them?
Is the server value from them or a third party?
Is this something that I'll have to pay for?

Thanks for any help. I'm a complete beginner to this and so appreciate any help.

:surprised:

[Sanjiyan]

The server option refers to the USENET or NNTP server address.

Normally your ISP will have a newsgroup/usenet/nntp server for example my ISK Blueyonder, has a newsgroup server at the address: news.blueyonder.co.uk

If your ISP does not have a newsgroup server, then there are plenty of free servers on the internet, google for one. If that does not work then there are newgroup servers ran by commercial companys that charge for access to them.

You would put that server address into the server field.
You would put the newgroup such as rec.arts.anime.creative into the newsgroup/mailing list email.

See the attached .jpg for reference.

[kjhkjh]

Thanks Sanjiyan,

I have tried looking for free nntp servers that I could use, but it really isn't that easy. When I start reading through their terms it becomes clear that linking to a vbulletin forum to pull and post messages isn't allowed.

I couldn't find any settings to put in for google either (although I regularly use the web to view usenet through google groups).

Can anyone tell me the settings for a free nntp server that would allow me to pull and post messages to and from my VB forum?

If I have to pay, can anyone recommend a server that is excellent value for use with vb?

Are there any pitfalls or things that I should think about when signing up with a commercial service?

Thanks.

[kjhkjh]

I have just taken a look at Giganews.

Even paying for service with them seems to open the door to potential problems. Say that someone spams in my forum and this ends up on usenet through Giganews' service:

If it is determined that you have posted spam through the Giganews servers, you will be charged a $50 cleanup fee per spam message that you posted, and your account will be terminated.

That could end up pretty pricey.

What is the way around this. What NNTP servers are people currently using this hack with?

Thanks.