rickert@mp.cs.niu.edu (Neil Rickert) (10/02/90)
In article <1990Sep27.212347.15099@mp.cs.niu.edu> rickert@mp.cs.niu.edu (Neil Rickert) writes: > I have C news running, but want to make it accessible to other hosts on our >local network. We can share files with NFS. However the hosts are not >binary compatible, so separate news software will be needed on the other >hosts. > > These seem to be the possibilities: > > 1. Install C-news and a news reader on other hosts. Have them > mount my news spool and control directories. (These will > already be remote mounted for other reasons). Use the C-news > ability to use identify a server host. > > 2. Install an nntp client newsreader such as rrn. > > 3. Use a hybrid system. Install a news reader and those parts > needed to read news, using the NFS mounted directories. But > use the 'inews' that comes with 'nntp', so that the posting > from the other nodes is done with nntp. > > I would appreciate any advice, or suggestions for other options. ---------------------- I have received a number of replies to this inquiry. Thanks to all who responded. No respondent recommended (1), although one recommended installing B-News, and using what is the equivalent. Everyone else recommended some variant of (2) or (3). That is, always use nntp and mini-inews for posting, but there is divided opinion of whether to read news with nntp or remote mount the news directories. Those who favored remount mounting pointed out that more information is available this way. Those who favored exclusively using nntp commented on the administrative nightmare if hundreds of work stations are remote mounting your disks and probably never bothering to umount them. Several responses commented that nntp runs quite efficiently. One user suggested that it might be more efficient than remote mounting, because (in the respondents view) remote mounting might result in uneccesarily large buffers being transferred. One respondent commented that if you start with remote mounts, and later change your mind and suitably modify the client software, most users will not notice the difference. ------------- My choice: I will use remote mounted directories. This is partly because I am concerned with a small network which will not have much growth, and which will be remote mounting some directories for other reasons. -- =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= Neil W. Rickert, Computer Science <rickert@cs.niu.edu> Northern Illinois Univ. DeKalb, IL 60115. +1-815-753-6940