[news.sysadmin] Help! My history files are taking over!

rcj@moss.ATT.COM (10/09/87)

Look at this!

-rw-r--r--   1 news     news     1514496 Oct  9 03:35 history
-rw-r--r--   1 news     news        4096 Oct  9 07:43 history.dir
-rw-r--r--   1 news     news     2092032 Oct  9 07:52 history.pag
-rw-r--r--   1 news     news      615424 Oct  9 01:35 nhistory
-rw-r--r--   1 news     news        4096 Oct  9 01:35 nhistory.dir
-rw-r--r--   1 news     news     1048576 Oct  9 01:35 nhistory.pag
-rw-r--r--   1 news     news     1347635 Oct  7 01:30 ohistory

What can I do to reduce this?  /usenet/lib disk usage is now
more than 15000 blocks.

*Any* help greatly appreciated,

The MAD Programmer -- 201-386-6409 (Cornet 232)
			      ^^^^ new extension
alias: Curtis Jackson	...![ ihnp4 ulysses cbosgd allegra ]!moss!rcj
			...![ ihnp4 cbosgd akgua watmath  ]!clyde!rcj

wtm@bunker.UUCP (Bill McGarry) (10/15/87)

In article <15057@clyde.ATT.COM> rcj@clyde.ATT.COM (Curtis Jackson) writes:
>Look at this!
>
>-rw-r--r--   1 news     news     1514496 Oct  9 03:35 history
>-rw-r--r--   1 news     news        4096 Oct  9 07:43 history.dir
>-rw-r--r--   1 news     news     2092032 Oct  9 07:52 history.pag
>
>What can I do to reduce this?  /usenet/lib disk usage is now
>more than 15000 blocks.
>

I assume that you are running 2.11 news where expired articles ID's are
kept in the history file for a period of time to prevent old articles
from re-appearing.  The default for this period of time is 4 weeks.
(The define is HISTEXP in "defs.h".)

With 4 weeks worth of article ID's, an 1 1/2 meg history file is
about the right size.  What can you do to reduce this size?  Change
the HISTEXP define to some smaller number (3 weeks?).

				Bill McGarry
				Bunker Ramo, Shelton, CT
				(203) 337-1518

     PATH:  {philabs, decvax, fortune, yale}!bunker!wtm

kyle@meow.UUCP (kyle) (10/20/87)

In article <2882@bunker.UUCP>, wtm@bunker.UUCP (Bill McGarry) writes:
> With 4 weeks worth of article ID's, an 1 1/2 meg history file is
> about the right size.  What can you do to reduce this size?  Change
> the HISTEXP define to some smaller number (3 weeks?).


Or, to avoid recompiling, simply set expire's -E parameter to 21 days (or
less).

psyebh@prcpto.PRC.SID (Elliot Hans) (10/29/87)

In article <15057@clyde.ATT.COM>, rcj@moss.ATT.COM writes:
| Look at this!
| 
| -rw-r--r--   1 news     news     1514496 Oct  9 03:35 history
| -rw-r--r--   1 news     news        4096 Oct  9 07:43 history.dir
| -rw-r--r--   1 news     news     2092032 Oct  9 07:52 history.pag
| -rw-r--r--   1 news     news      615424 Oct  9 01:35 nhistory
| -rw-r--r--   1 news     news        4096 Oct  9 01:35 nhistory.dir
| -rw-r--r--   1 news     news     1048576 Oct  9 01:35 nhistory.pag
| -rw-r--r--   1 news     news     1347635 Oct  7 01:30 ohistory
| 
| What can I do to reduce this?  /usenet/lib disk usage is now
| more than 15000 blocks.
| 
| *Any* help greatly appreciated,
| 
| The MAD Programmer -- 201-386-6409 (Cornet 232)
| 			      ^^^^ new extension
| alias: Curtis Jackson	...![ ihnp4 ulysses cbosgd allegra ]!moss!rcj
| 			...![ ihnp4 cbosgd akgua watmath  ]!clyde!rcj

   ======================================================================

	Sorry to reprint all this (esp since I don't know the
	answer), but I just wanted to point up the fact that 
	there really ARE some people trying to use this newsgroup
	for an intelligent purpose instead of tying it up with 
	rhetorical bullshit (i.e., Smith/Lippman).