Newsgroups: news.software.b
Path: utzoo!utstat!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!me!mindy!eastick
From: eastick@mindy.uucp (Doug Eastick)
Subject: News software: binary files and distributed DB's
Message-ID: <1990Jul16.043412.15157@mindy.uucp>
Organization: Mindemoya Computing and Design, Toronto, ON
Distribution: news
Date: Mon, 16 Jul 90 04:34:12 GMT

Two questions.  Actually just one question and some babble.

1) Has anyone used news software to distribute binay files? Say,
   compressed tar files?  Maybe a final header line could declare
   	Filetype: binary
   and then go from there.   My guess is that it would take WAAYY too much
   work to get everyone to cooperate, but I'm thinking of an isolated
   network (proprietary information).

2) Has anyone hacked news software to provide a REALLY distributed
   database?  I'm thinking of large corporations where there are several
   manufacturing sites and several research sites.

   Message-ID's could be used a product-numbers and owner
   identification (e.g. <sun-ss1+@west.rnd.sun.com> which is fictitous),
   RCS can be used to check-in and -out product drawings using ihave-sendme
   and/or NNTP.  When products are superceded, the Supercedes: line could
   be used to archive the old product info somewhere.  Each site would have 
   an index (modified history?) of what drawings/models are at each 
   site (contained in the message id).

   If a dwg/model is requested at site A and it isn't on a local disk, the
   index is searched and a SENDME is sent to site B which has the
   drawing/model.  If the requestor has the authority, the design files are
   checked out and locked ("ci -l files") until he/she returns them.
   NNTP would be used over a corporate lan and response for files should be
   under a few minutes.

Any comments welcome.

-- 
Doug Eastick <eastick@mindy.uucp> 
"He has a genetic defect and actually WANTS to go back to Sudbury" -B.E./90