$Id: README,v 1.5 1993/12/22 00:48:00 alden Exp $

                           NNTPlink Version 3.3
                           --------------------

Please read this note thoroughly and then proceed to the INSTALL file
for installation instructions.  If you are upgrading from a previous
release and you use the funnel, please see the note at then end of this
message regarding a change in the format of the funnel file!!!


NNTPlink is a news transmission client designed to replace nntpxmit.  It is
capable of emulating nntpxmit exactly, closely or not at all (IMHO, this is
the best mode of course.  :-)   Instead of invoking nntpxmit every <n>
minutes you can can start up nntplink once and it will run until killed.  It
keeps the connection to the remote NNTP server open, only closing it after
a specified amount of idle time or after a specified number of articles have
been offered to the remote server.  It has 4 different methods of retrieving
the article information:

 o stdin - It uses <stdin> to retrieves information.  This requires an
           agent to start it up as a child and send articles to it (ie: innd).

 o logfile - It uses the logfile to retrieve information.  This is the
             most efficient since news updates the logfile with the
             information on which systems got which articles automatically.
             (Please see the note on supported logfile formats later on in
             this message).

 o funnel - It uses the funnel file to retrieve information.

 o batchfile - It will retrieve the necessary information from the
               batchfile.  This isn't quite as efficient as the logfile
               or stdin modes.  This is the method used by nntpxmit.


Please see the file THEORY for more information on how nntplink operates.

...David Alden


ps  !!! IMPORTANT CHANGE FROM 3.2 !!!!
    To make funnel file parsing more efficient, I had to change the format
    of it.  The old format was:

    <filename> <message-id> site1 site2 ...

    The new format reverses the filename and message-id, i.e.:

    <message-id> <filename> site1 site2 ...

    If you are using INN to create the funnel file, then all you need to do
    is change the "W" flag in your newsfeeds file, i.e., from "Wnm" to "Wmn".

    Also, the "-f" option has changed its meaning -- check the man page.

---
Please send bug fixes/enhancements/suggestions to:
        alden@math.ohio-state.edu

There is a mailing list for people who use nntplink.  Patches and discussion
are sent to this list.  If you wish to be added to the list, send the following
command to "majordomo@math.ohio-state.edu":

subscribe linkers [your-email-address]

Note that your-email-address is optional, it is taken from your mail message
if you don't specify it.

This is an unmoderated mailing list.  Submissions should be addressed to:
	linkers@math.ohio-state.edu

Archives of the list are available:
	math.ohio-state.edu[128.146.110.30]:/pub/nntplink/Linkers.archive
