Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!think!mit-eddie!genrad!decvax!cca!mirror!authorplaceholder From: rs@mirror.UUCP Newsgroups: net.news.notes Subject: Re: > 14-char newsgroup names Message-ID: <103700001@mirror> Date: Wed, 2-Jul-86 14:06:00 EDT Article-I.D.: mirror.103700001 Posted: Wed Jul 2 14:06:00 1986 Date-Received: Sat, 5-Jul-86 05:37:37 EDT References: <3700001@occrsh.UUCP> Lines: 72 Nf-ID: #R:occrsh.UUCP:3700001:mirror:103700001:000:3447 Nf-From: mirror.UUCP!rs Jul 2 14:06:00 1986 ] How does notes deal with long names? There are two "solutions"; one extant, one not yet done. I'm referring to notes 1.7 and later; this may also include "NYU" notes, but I'm not sure. The basic problem is this: notes stores its database in a one-level directory tree, while news uses the hierarchy. If you're not running a BSD4.[23] filesystem, then net.unix-wizards becomes net.unix-wizar, and so on. First, get in touch with the administrator at the site doing the news/notes gateway for you. Make sure he's running recent code. Tell him to update his .utilities/newsgroups file. This file maps newsgroup names to notesfile names. For example, here's an excerpt from ours: # General/followup net.followup:net.general # Mod groups whose names must be truncated mod.c.68k:mod.computers.68k mod.c.apollo:mod.computers.apollo # Net groups whose names must be truncated net.announce.n:net.announce.newusers Note that the "newsgroups" file can also handle neat tricks like automatically directing responses in net.general to net.followup, while leaving new basenotes in net.general in that news group. The "newsgroups" file is used by the newsinput and newsoutput programs. Now, suppose you feed or are fed by BSD site that DOES use the long names. No problem, create an entry for them in .utilties/net.how with their sitename. For example, here's an excerpt from .utilities/net.how/bsd-site, someone we feed who wants long names: mod.c.apollo:mod.computers.apollo This program is normally only used by nfxmit, so you'll have to get the other site to set up something similar for you. Someone recently submitted a patch to nfrcv, however, that causes it to use the "net.how" files to -- a big win. All this stuff just lets us avoid the real problem: changing notes's directory structure. I've done some looking at this, and exchanged mail with Ray Essick. The work is involved, albeit fairly straightforward. The scheme I came up with involved creating a "notesfiles" file. This mapped notesfile titles to notesfile directories. For example: mod.computers.apollo:mod/computers/apollo mymail:/u2/rs/mail/.incoming The first line assumes /usr/spool/notes as the directory. This system provides three nice features: notesfiles can have multiple names, notesfiles can exist in private places (they can now, but it's a pain to create such ones; nfcreate insists on /usr/spool/notes), and handling the wildcard expansion is straightforward. With all this said, now for the bad news. I am particularly interested in such a solution, and have a few ideas of where to make the changes. As I said earlier, LOTS of things have to be changed. However, we are a BSD4.2 site (and gateway), and feed only 4.2 sites. I do not expect I will ever do any work on this. I am interested in keeping notes alive. As mod.sources moderator, if someone put lots of work in and created a new release, I would send it out post-haste. Minimum requirements are that it would have to be based on 1.7 or later, be approved by Essick, and provide some sort of mapping like I propose above. Ideally, it all comes before the reorganization of the net on 9/1. Perhaps the best bet is to wait for major sites like HP, Gould, or UofI to do something. -- Rich $alz {mit-eddie, ihnp4!inmet, wjh12, cca, datacube}!mirror!rs Mirror Systems 2067 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA, 02140 Telephone: 6,176,610,777 "Hi, mom!"