Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!tale
From: tale@cs.rpi.edu (David C Lawrence)
Newsgroups: news.newusers.questions
Subject: Re: Updating Active file
Message-ID: <!F##PJ%@rpi.edu>
Date: 19 Feb 90 00:53:14 GMT
References: <196@jgaltstl.UUCP> <180@fdls.UUCP>
Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY
Lines: 47

In article <196@jgaltstl.UUCP> terry@jgaltstl.UUCP (terry linhardt) writes:
> I downloaded a copy of the 'newsgroups' file from my feed (uunet),
> and have found any number of groups which were not in my active file.
> Many of these I don't subscribe to. However, there are a number in,
> for instance, comp, which are valid newsgroups, but my machine does
> not recognize them as being valid. Therefore, they are discarded into
> 'junk'. What is the correct procedure for getting my 'active' file
> to be in-step with my feed's newsgroups file. 

They are very likely "inet" (Internet) distribution groups.  You might
want to look at those groups and see whether you want inet at all.
Then again, the thing is so leaky it's probably more worth your while
just to sanctify them on your machine and take it all.

In article <180@fdls.UUCP> dougw@fdls.UUCP (dougw) writes:
> I was futher confused by the fact that when I installed my news
> software I selected that an automatic update of my active file
> should take place.  But, it never did.  uunet recently cleared this
> up for me by the following answer I received from email sent to
> uunet|postmaster:

>   "there are no automatic postings of checkgroup messages any longer.
>    too many people complained.  you will have to read the various news.*
>    groups to find the posted input to checkgroups and run the
>    checkgroups at your end yourself."

> I have no idea what the complaints were.  I have subscribed again to
> news.groups (hope this is the correct one) and will make any changes
> manually as desired.

The complaints were likely from admins that only wanted checkgroups
done when they explicitly asked for them because checkgroups can also,
as you say, update your active file automatically.  Some people just
don't like them, period, and choose to administer their systems
without checkgroups.  They also have an interesting side-effect; Eliot
Lear occasionally sends out one for bionet which so far has never told
me about anything out of whack with our bionet list but nevertheless
points out inconsistencies between our lib/active and lib/newsgroups,
almost always cases where I didn't manually add the group description
to the newsgroups after the group creation.

news.admin is the group you should subscribe to if you want to find
the checkgroups message, and if you just want to keep up on admin'ing
in general.  Gene Spafford just posted the most recent version two
nights ago.

Dave