Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!kuhub.cc.ukans.edu!anu-news!list From: munnari!anu.anu.oz.au!gih900@CSC1.ANU.OZ.AU (Geoff Huston) Newsgroups: news.software.anu-news Subject: RE: -->NEWS.ITEMS File question Message-ID: <9002120639.AA08447@uunet.uu.net> Date: 12 Feb 90 15:55:33 GMT Sender: ANU-NEWS Discussion Reply-To: Geoff Huston Lines: 27 >Aside from the "convert" routines in newspack.com, what conditions could >create a second copy of the NEWS.ITEMS file? none >It seems to be connected to newsskim.com as the file was created during >or after the skim run. Further, this was the only news management routine >running at the time. For simplicity's sake, my news batch routine is >suspended from two hours before to at least an hour after the end of the >skim run. > >Note, I don't always have a second copy hanging around. So is it supposed >to create a second version and delete the first, or is something else going >wrong? This is a real problem - the news.items file is HAMMERED by NEWS - the file gets large, and there is a complete turnaround in the stored records every 14 (or whetever you've set) days. I have found that there is almost NEVER a time period when the news.items file is not open by some process. I have had to resort to a BACKUP/IGN=INTERLOCK to get a copy of the file, then convert the copy and rename it back. The problem is that all postings that happen during this time are lost. sigh. There must be a better way! I'm (slowly) working on finding it! Geoff