[news.software.b] sendsys control message

system@asuvax.asu.edu (Marc Lesure) (09/14/90)

How does one send the 'inews -c sendsys' to only specific sites and not 
a complete distribution?

Thanks

henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) (09/14/90)

In article <1779@asuvax.asu.edu> system@asuvax.asu.edu (Marc Lesure) writes:
>How does one send the 'inews -c sendsys' to only specific sites and not 
>a complete distribution?

Basically, one doesn't.  Sendsys messages (and control messages in general)
follow exactly the same transmission rules as normal articles:  where they
go is controlled by newsgroup, distribution, and the sys files.
-- 
TCP/IP: handling tomorrow's loads today| Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
OSI: handling yesterday's loads someday|  henry@zoo.toronto.edu   utzoo!henry

jerry@olivey.olivetti.com (Jerry Aguirre) (09/15/90)

In article <1779@asuvax.asu.edu> system@asuvax.asu.edu (Marc Lesure) writes:
>
>How does one send the 'inews -c sendsys' to only specific sites and not 
>a complete distribution?
>
>Thanks

One can control where a sendsys, or other control message, will go by
controlling the newsgroup and distribution.  For example it is common
for a sys file entry to have:

	host:rec,world,soc,comp,...,talk,to.host:F:...

The to.host is a news group that you create locally.  By posting your
control message to "to.host" then it will execute locally and be queued
for transmission to "host".  Other entries will have "to.somethingelse"
so it won't be sent to them.  Hopefully your neighbor will not forward
"to.host" to anyone else.  This is very useful for checking up on what
your feed's sys file entry for you looks like.

A second alternative is to use a distribution.  For example in my area
we have a "ca" distribution for the state and a "ba" distribution for
the local area.  I could post a sendsys with a distribution of "ba" to
find out what my neighbors are doing without flooding the entire world.
I include the "ba" distribution in the entries for local sites but not
for feeds outside the area.

The ability to use selective transmission is one of the reasons to NOT
use "all" in the sys file.  At the very least "all" should ALL ways be
qualified.  For example:

	"host:all,!to,to.host,!local:..."

with possibly other restrictions if regional distributions are involved.

						Jerry Aguirre

ronald@robobar.co.uk (Ronald S H Khoo) (09/15/90)

henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) writes:

> In article <1779@asuvax.asu.edu> system@asuvax.asu.edu (Marc Lesure) writes:
> >How does one send the 'inews -c sendsys' to only specific sites and not 
> >a complete distribution?
>
> Basically, one doesn't.

But in one common case where all the machines between you and the target
site follow the common convention of using a to.sitename pseudo group for
sending control messages only to particular neighbour sites (especially
common if ihave/sendme is in use) then you can do a Newsgroups:  virtual
bang path to the target site.  For example, from where I'm sat,

	/bin/inews << 'EOM'
	Newsgroups: to.ibmpcug,to.slxsys,to.ukc
	Subject: sendsys
	Control: sendsys

	Thanks folx!
	EOM

will get me the sys file of the UK backbone "ukc", with the side effect that
you'll also get the sys files of the intervening sites.

Warning: This may annoy some news administrators.
-- 
my .signature is on holiday

henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) (09/19/90)

In article <1990Sep15.040224.6976@robobar.co.uk> ronald@robobar.co.uk (Ronald S H Khoo) writes:
>> >How does one send the 'inews -c sendsys' to only specific sites and not 
>> >a complete distribution?
>>
>> Basically, one doesn't.
>
>But in one common case where all the machines between you and the target
>site follow the common convention of using a to.sitename pseudo group for
>sending control messages only to particular neighbour sites (especially
>common if ihave/sendme is in use) then you can do a Newsgroups:  virtual
>bang path to the target site...

Possible, but tricky.  It's easy for to.sitename groups to go unexpected
places, especially when one site puts its software together by cloning
it from another.
-- 
TCP/IP: handling tomorrow's loads today| Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
OSI: handling yesterday's loads someday|  henry@zoo.toronto.edu   utzoo!henry

markw@gvlf1-c.gvl.unisys.com (Mark H. Weber) (09/25/90)

How do you send a "sendsys" control messages to a specific distribution,
and have it get to all sites in that distribution? I know how to send
the message to a specific distribution, but what group should the
message be posted to? Is the "Newsgroups: " header examined at all
when processing a "sendsys" message? Is there any difference between
Bnews and Cnews in this area?

-- 
  Mark H. Weber                   | Internet: markw@GVL.Unisys.COM  
  Unisys - Great Valley Labs      |     UUCP: ...!uunet!cbmvax!gvlv2!markw
  Paoli, PA  USA  (215) 648-7111  |           ...!psuvax1!burdvax!gvlv2!markw