Xref: utzoo news.software.b:6938 news.admin:12392 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!samsung!news.cs.indiana.edu!msi.umn.edu!noc.MR.NET!gacvx2.gac.edu!dan From: dan@gacvx2.gac.edu Newsgroups: news.software.b,news.admin Subject: Re: What to do about humongous postings Message-ID: <1991Feb21.211921.115@gacvx2.gac.edu> Date: 22 Feb 91 03:19:21 GMT References: Followup-To: news.software.b,news.admin Organization: Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minnesota Lines: 55 In article , mathew@mwowm.mantis.co.uk (mathew) writes: > People seem to think that something should be done. I suggest that any > posting longer than a certain threshold length should be dropped, and an > error report mailed to the originator (and possibly his system > administrator). This length-checking should be performed not just by the > originator's news software, but by the software which handles news > propogation for every site. > > Can anyone think of any good objections? Obviously the limit to impose needs > to be chosen carefully, but I'd say that something around 128KB would be > suitable. That should allow space for even a lengthy Kent Paul Dolan > posting :-) How would the size of the posting be measured? As the "Path:" header grows, so does the length of the message. Will sites downstream reject the message because the size has grown. How would 129KB files be handled. It would be nice to be able to turn this option off on local groups (not propagated to the net, or propagated only within a section of the net. Many mail gateways enforce a message length limit of 100KB. By policy BITNET message/file size limit is 300KB. While the 128KB limit would work within BITNET, it would run into a problem with the sites that have 100KB limits. Whos size limit would be used. How about a message given while posting "The message you are in the process of posting is larger than the recommended limit. If you choose to post this message you will probably be flamed and labeled a bad.net.citizen. You want to avoid the flames and abort this posting? ([Y] or N)" How about a semi-inteligent method of auto spliting a message when the message is posted. JOKE WARNING: (the next lines are not to be taken too seriously.) :-) Modify the news software to save users and the system manager time and :-) automaticly flame the poster of 400kb files. For maximum effect, the :-) flame should be sent when news adds the batch containing the 400kb :-) posting, and then whenever it is read by a user. To save more time news :-) software could even post a message in news.admin starting a discusion :-) about large posting, and create a forged alt group to put the user on :-) "net.display.for.all", something along the lines of: :-) :-) alt.shame.shame.bandwidth-eater..at..howbig. :-) END OF JOKE: :-) -- Dan Boehlke Internet: dan@gac.edu Campus Network Manager BITNET: dan@gacvax1.bitnet Gustavus Adolphus College St. Peter, MN 56082 USA Phone: (507)933-7596