[comp.sys.mac.misc] Help with NNTP and TheNews

cohill@vtserf.cc.vt.edu (Andrew M. Cohill) (04/18/91)

I have tried unsuccessfully to get TheNews (a news reader) running on my
Mac IIcx.  The only message I get is that the NNTP server I am trying to
access via Ethernet is not talking to it.  From looking at the manual,
the only thing I set on my side (the Mac) is the IP address, so I assume
that there's a problem with the NNTP server.  Our sysop tried changing
or setting two or three things that seemed to control access to NNTP,
but nothing made any difference.

It's not a TCP/IP or Ethernet problem since I can send mail to the
machine using other programs and can ftp to it.  What files or switches
have to be set with NNTP to give my machine access?  Are there any other
little things we have to do?  The NNTP machine is a DEC 5810 (risc)
running Ultrix.

ejbehr@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu (Eric Behr) (04/18/91)

cohill@vtserf.cc.vt.edu (Andrew M. Cohill) writes a tale of woe and
intrigue re. TheNews.

There must be some setting which lets you define machines with IP adresses
in a certain range as "trusted" clients (TheNews will apparently fail when
the server comes back with "no posting" threat). Our sysop can't find it
either.

What worked for us was setting a static address for the Mac, defining its
name in /etc/hosts, and then telling the server to accept postings from
that name. The server still acts screwy, but at least the machines try to
communicate. This is a major kludge (esp. with Macs, which often get
addresses dynamically), but we'll stick to it until something better comes
along...

-- 
Eric Behr, Illinois State University, Mathematics Department
Internet: ejbehr@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu    Bitnet: ebehr@ilstu

sardella@strfleet.gsfc.nasa.gov (Tom Sardella) (04/19/91)

In article <1627@vtserf.cc.vt.edu> cohill@vtserf.cc.vt.edu (Andrew M. Cohill) writes:
>I have tried unsuccessfully to get TheNews (a news reader) running on my
>Mac IIcx.  The only message I get is that the NNTP server I am trying to
>access via Ethernet is not talking to it.  From looking at the manual,
>the only thing I set on my side (the Mac) is the IP address, so I assume
>that there's a problem with the NNTP server.  Our sysop tried changing
>or setting two or three things that seemed to control access to NNTP,
>but nothing made any difference.
>
>It's not a TCP/IP or Ethernet problem since I can send mail to the
>machine using other programs and can ftp to it.  What files or switches
>have to be set with NNTP to give my machine access?  Are there any other
>little things we have to do?  The NNTP machine is a DEC 5810 (risc)
>running Ultrix.


I recently had a similar problem.  The message I got from TheNews was
"The server doesn't seem to want to respond. Sorry."  This occurred
even though I could see NNTP response packets coming back from the
news server.  It turns out that TheNews requires you to have post
permission on the server, even if all you want to do is read news.
This is unlike "rn" and other news programs I have seen where you
can at least read, whether you have post permission or not.  After
our news administrator added post permission for my Mac, it worked
fine.


		Tom Sardella
		sardella@strfleet.gsfc.nasa.gov

senetza@honte.uleth.ca (Len Senetza) (04/21/91)

sardella@strfleet.gsfc.nasa.gov (Tom Sardella) writes:
>In article <1627@vtserf.cc.vt.edu> cohill@vtserf.cc.vt.edu (Andrew M. Cohill) writes:
>>I have tried unsuccessfully to get TheNews (a news reader) running on my
  [stuff deleted]
>news server.  It turns out that TheNews requires you to have post

Where can someone fine 'TheNews'??  Is it PD?  FTP'able??

-- 
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|  Len Senetza                                Internet: senetza@hg.uleth.ca |
|  Academic Consultant, U of Lethbridge
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+

ejbehr@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu (Eric Behr) (04/23/91)

senetza@honte.uleth.ca (Len Senetza) writes:
>sardella@strfleet.gsfc.nasa.gov (Tom Sardella) writes:
>Where can someone fine 'TheNews'??  Is it PD?  FTP'able??
>
How about sumex???     8-()

-- 
Eric Behr, Illinois State University, Mathematics Department
Internet: ejbehr@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu    Bitnet: ebehr@ilstu