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From: glc@akgua.UUCP (G.L. Cleveland [Lindsay])
Newsgroups: net.news
Subject: Re: Is there a limit to length of exclusion list?
Message-ID: <1658@akgua.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 29-Aug-85 00:02:30 EDT
Article-I.D.: akgua.1658
Posted: Thu Aug 29 00:02:30 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 31-Aug-85 03:40:11 EDT
References: <449@timeinc.UUCP> <455@timeinc.UUCP> <1028@gatech.CSNET>
Distribution: net
Organization: AT&T Technologies/Bell Labs, Atlanta
Lines: 59

>From: greenber@timeinc.UUCP (Ross M. Greenberg)
>is there a limit as to how long (in bytes, or in newgroup count)
>a sys entry is allowed to be?
>
>(The list is long enough to cause vi to barf on a 'Line too Long'
>error message).

The limit for the length of a line in your "sys" file is defined by
the value of LBUFLEN in the defs.h file.  I have mine set to 3000,
but then it also affects the maximum length of the "reply" path in
vnews/readnews, which is why I have it so big.

In order to massage such large lines with "vi", I merely edit a
second file (called ex.sys) which has the lines broken at commas:

   nextsite:all,!net.foo,!net.bar,
   !net.grep,!net.dead,
   !net.allgone,!to,all,
   to.nextsite:U:/usr/lib/news/qnews /usr/spool/news/nextsite %s

After making any changes, you then run the following little command 
called "join.sys":

  # Used to join continuation lines in "ex.sys" and output to "sys"
  sed -e '/^#/d' -e '/,$/!s/$/~/' ex.sys | tr -d '\12' | tr '~' '\12' >sys

It removes the comment lines (starting with a '#'), and removes the
new-line character after each comma.

>From: spaf@gatech.CSNET (Gene Spafford)
>If the exclusion list is that long you should consider replacing it
>by an "inclusion" list -- it will probably be shorter.  Just go down
>the list of active newsgroups and strike out the ones in the
>exclusion list.  Then build your line accordingly.

I rarely disagree with anything Spaf says, but there are a few
disadvantages to using an "inclusion" rather than an "exclusion"
list.  

1. When a new newsgroup is created, the downstream site rarely
knows about it until one of its users complains to the netnews
administrator "Why don't we get it??!!"

2. Administrator then has to contact the feeding site and ask for
the newsgroup to be included in the list.

3. Upstream administrator is on vacation for two weeks.  News feed
is delayed.  Local user is The Boss.  You are in trouble!

With an "exclusion" list, the downstream site is automatically
supplied with newly-created groups.  If any of them are not wanted, they
can be turned off at the feeding site whenever it is convenient to
do so.

Cheers,
  Lindsay

Lindsay Cleveland  (akgua!glc) (404) 447-3909   Cornet 583-3909
AT&T Technologies/Bell Laboratories ... Atlanta, Ga