[news.software.b] Cnews Batching Strangeness

scs@iti.org (Steve Simmons) (07/27/90)

Before I dive in to look for bugs, I thought I'd see if others have similar
problems or it I've done something obviously stoopid . . . 

The batchparms file in Cnews should let us control batching parameters.
Part of it seems to work, part of it doesn't.  Here's the edited-down
file:

# site		size	queue	builder	muncher	sender
# ----		----	-----	-------	-------	------
/default/	100000	20	batcher	compcun	viauux
# Cnews sites
lokkur		200000	60	batcher comp	viauux
clif		50000	20	batcher comp	viauux

The muncher, sender, builder and queue fields all seem to work fine.
But size is wildly off.  Site clif has been receiving batches as
big as 250K compressed, and as small as a few bytes (only the
'compressed' magic number).  Site lokkur gets batches with similar
variation.  Both sites are expertly administered (lokkur is my home
machine).  Sites which run at the defaults are fine (or at least are
not complaining).

henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) (07/30/90)

In article <scs.649092848@hela.iti.org> scs@iti.org (Steve Simmons) writes:
>But size is wildly off.  Site clif has been receiving batches as
>big as 250K compressed, and as small as a few bytes (only the
>'compressed' magic number)...

Are you using the "F" flag (as opposed to "f") in your sys-file entries?
"F" does not supply the size information the batcher needs.  Also, have
you experienced major batching backlogs in relation to your expiry time?
The usual cause of few-bytes batches is that all the articles that were
supposed to go out in that batch had already expired.  (Yes, this should
be dealt with more cleanly... it's in the works.)
-- 
The 486 is to a modern CPU as a Jules  | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
Verne reprint is to a modern SF novel. |  henry@zoo.toronto.edu   utzoo!henry