X-Git-Url: http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/ucgi/~ian/git?p=innduct.git;a=blobdiff_plain;f=doc%2Fhistory;fp=doc%2Fhistory;h=0000000000000000000000000000000000000000;hp=b5d4cc1a532b08ba51a72e731f5c08ce51633d0e;hb=b7a32e2d73e3ab1add8208d3e157f7269a31ef4d;hpb=ac902a8299ff4469b356836f431ead31c3377377 diff --git a/doc/history b/doc/history deleted file mode 100644 index b5d4cc1..0000000 --- a/doc/history +++ /dev/null @@ -1,258 +0,0 @@ -$Revision: 4165 $ -This file contains a few messages of historical interest. Some of the -information in these messages is out of date (e.g., you don't need any -other software, ihave/sendme is suported, etc); see the README and -installation manual. - -The first is a mail message I sent as soon as I got the idea. - -Six months later I had something to beta, and I posted the second message -to Usenet. My ship date was optimistic. - -The third message is the application that I required all beta sites to -fill out. - -The fourth is a copy of the release notice. - -From: Rich Salz -Date: Sat, 8 Dec 90 15:23:20 EST -Message-Id: <9012082023.AA13441@litchi.bbn.com> -To: newsgurus@ucsd.edu, nntp-managers@ucbarpa.Berkeley.EDU -Subject: Speed idea. - -Suppose inews, nntp, "rnews -U", newsunbatch, etc., all just fed their -articles to a single daemon? - -An idea I started kicking around yesterday. This is intended only for -sites supporting BSD networking. I believe that anyone else who needs -this kind of speed would find Cnews good enough. - -A multi-threaded server that used non-blocking IO to read all incoming -articles on several sockets (don't forker a server, select on the -connection socket will return READOK when a connection request comes in). -All articles are read into memory, then written out to the filesystem -using a single writev call (easy way to splice the path). - -Hash the active file and compile the sys file so as soon as an article was -accepted we can write out the batchfile entries. As one special case, -write entries to another socket for articles that should be fed out via -NNTPLINK or something. - -Put the socket inside a group-access-only directory, so that only trusted -front-ends like inews "rnews -U" etc can connect to it. - -Oh yeah, for things like nntp use sendmsg/recvmesg to hand off the -feeding site to the demon once it's authenticated the incoming call and -recognized it as an "xfer no" site. - -I've a few pages of notes and code fragments to type in. - -No locks of any kind. active file is mmap'd or periodically flushed. -Keep it all in core and blat it out with a single write. - -When you want to expire, or add a group, you send a special message -on a control port, or perhaps a sighup/sigusr1 to force it to resynch. - -Any feedback? - /r$ - -Path: papaya.bbn.com!rsalz -From: rsalz@bbn.com (Rich Salz) -Newsgroups: news.software.nntp,news.admin,comp.org.usenix -Subject: Seeking beta-testers for a new NNTP transfer system -Message-ID: <3632@litchi.bbn.com> -Date: 18 Jun 91 15:47:21 GMT -Followup-To: poster -Organization: Bolt, Beranek and Newman, Inc. -Lines: 72 -Xref: papaya.bbn.com news.software.nntp:1550 news.admin:15565 comp.org.usenix:418 - -InterNetNews, or INN, is a news transport system. The core part of the -package is a single long-running daemon that handles all incoming NNTP -connections. It files the articles and arranges for them to be forwarded -to downstream sites. Because it is long-running, it can be directed to -spawn other long-running processes, telling them exactly when an article -should be sent to a feed. This can replace the "watch the logfile" mode -of nntplink, for example, with a much cleaner mechanism: read the -batchfile on standard input. - -InterNetNews assumes that memory is cheap and fast while disks are slow. -No temporary files are used while incoming articles are being received, -and once processed the entire article is written out using a single -writev(2) call (this includes updating the Path and Xref headers). The -active file is kept in memory (a compile-time option can be set to use -mmap(2)), and the newsfeeds file is parsed once to build a complete matrix -of which sites receive which newsgroups. - -InterNetNews uses many features of standard BSD sockets including -non-blocking I/O and Unix-domain stream and datagram sockets. It is -highly doubtful that the official version will ever provide support for -TLI, DECNET, or other facilities. - -INN is fast. Not many hard numbers are available (that is one requirement -of being a beta-site), but some preliminary tests show it to be at least -twice as fast as the current standard NNTP/C News combination. For -example, Jim Thompson at Sun has had 20 nntpxmits feeding into a 4/490, -and was getting over 14 articles per second, with the CPU 11% utilized. I -was getting 10 articles/second feeding into a DECstations 3100, with the -program (running profiled!) 50% idle and the load average under .7. (It -is a scary thing to see several articles filed with the same timestamp.) - -The sys file format is somewhat different, and has been renamed. The -arcane "foo.all" syntax is gone, replaced with a set of order-dependant -shell patterns. For example, instead of "comp,comp.sys.sun,!comp.sys" you -would write "comp.*,!comp.sys.*,comp.sys.sun"; to not get any groups -related to binaries or pictures, you write "!*pictures*,!*binaries*". - -There are other incompatibilities as well. For example, ihave/sendme -control messages are not supported. Also the philosophy is that that -invalid articles are dropped, rather than filed into "junk." (A log -message is written with the reason, and also sent back to the upstream -feed as part of the NNTP reject reply.) The active file is taken to be -the definitive list of groups that an article wants to recieve, and if -none of an article's newsgroups are mentioned in the active file, then the -article is invalid, logged, and dropped. - -The history and log files are intended to be compatible with those created -by C News. I want to thank Henry and Geoff for their kind permission to -use DBZ and SUBST. You will need to be running C News expire or a B2.11 -expire that has been modified to use DBZ. - -The InterNetNews daemon does not implement all NNTP commands. If sites -within your campus are going to post or read news via NNTP, you will need -the standard NNTP distribution. The daemon will spawn the standard nntpd -if any site not mentioned in its "hosts.nntp" file connects to the TCP -port. InterNetNews includes a replacement for the "mini-inews" that comes -with the standard NNTP distribution. This can be used on any machine that -posts news and connects to an NNTP server somewhere; its use is not -limited to INN. At some point I hope to have a replacement nntpd -optimized for newsreaders, and an NNTP transmission program. These will -remove the need for any external software beyond the C News expire program. - -If you would like to beta-test this version, please FTP the file -pub/usenet/INN.BETA from cronus.bbn.com for directions. It will be a -fairly tightly-screened beta: DO NOT ASK ME FOR COPIES! Once the system -is stable, it will be freely redistributable. I hope to have the official -release by August 7, so that schools can bring the system up before the -semester starts. - /rich $alz --- -Please send comp.sources.unix-related mail to rsalz@uunet.uu.net. -Use a domain-based address or give alternate paths, or you may lose out. - -Thanks for your interest in InterNetNews. I want to run a fairly -tightly-controlled beta test of the software before I make it generally -available. This means that I'm going to screen the sites which will be -able to participate in the test. Please don't be offended or upset by -this whole procedure. I want to make the final package as stable as soon -as possible so that the entire net can benefit (it will be freely -redistributable). I've set up this mechanism because I think it's the -best way for me to get the best test results as quickly as possible. - -I would therefore appreciate your answers to the following questions. -If you think the answers to some of them will be obvious to me (e.g., -"Describe your organization" --> "UUNET" :-) then feel free to leave it -blank. If you have any other feedback or comments, please add them. - -Email your results to - /r$ - -What software (transport, batching, readers, etc.) do you currently run? - -How much experience do you have with Usenet and NNTP? - -Describe your organization. - -How do you plan on testing InterNetNews? Be specific, describing the -machine hardware, any test servers, etc. [The answers to this one -won't be obvious to me -- you gotta write something.] - -What are the rough counts of the upstream and downstream feeds, and how do -they break down by category (UUCP, NNTP, etc.)? - -What special news functions does your server perform (gatewaying, -archiving, etc.)? - -Do you understand that by participating in the beta-test you agree not to -redistribute the software outside of your administrative domain, and that -you promise to upgrade to the official release in a timely manner? - -From: Rich Salz -Message-Id: -Newsgroups: news.software.b,news.protocols.nntp -Subject: Announcing the release of InterNetNews - -I am pleased to announce the official release of InterNetNews. - -InterNetNews, or INN, is a news transport system. The core part of the -package is a single long-running daemon that handles all incoming NNTP -connections. It files the articles and arranges for them to be forwarded -to downstream sites. Because it is long-running, it can be directed to -spawn other long-running processes, telling them exactly when an article -should be sent to a feed. - -INN is a complete Usenet system. It provides article expiration and -archiving, NNTP transport, and UUCP support. Nntplink works fine. - -INN does not include a newsreader. It does provide a version of the NNTP -reference implementation "clientlib" routines so that rrn and other -newsreaders compile with little trouble. The next release of xrn will -include INN support. - -The spool directory is unchanged while the history database is -upwardly-compatible with that of C News and the log file is very similar. -All system configuration files are different. - -INN assumes that memory is cheap and fast while disks are slow. No -temporary files are used while incoming articles are being received, and -once processed the entire article is written out using a single system -call (this includes updating the Path and Xref headers). The active file -is kept in memory, and the newsfeeds file is parsed at start-up to build a -complete matrix of which sites receive which newsgroups. A paper -describing the implementation was presented at the June 1992 Usenix -conference. - -INN uses many features of standard BSD sockets including non-blocking -I/O. It is highly doubtful that the official version will ever provide -support for TLI, DECNET, or other facilities. Among others, INN beta -sites include ATT Unix System V Release 4, Apple A/UX, BSDI BSD/386 0.3.3, -DEC Ultrix 3.x and 4.x, HP-UX s800 8.0, IBM AIX 3.1 and 3.2, Next NeXT-OS -2.1, Pyramid OSx 5.1, SCO Xenix 2.3.4, SGI Irix 4.0, Sequent Dynix 3.0.4 -and 3.0.12, and Sun SunOS 3.5 and 4.x. - -Almost all of the beta-testers have reported faster performance and less -load once they installed INN. Many people find it easy to maintain. - -A number of sites have graciously agreed to provide FTP access to this -release. The machine names and directories are listed below. Within -those directories you will find one or more of the following files: - README Intro and unpacking instructions; - -or- a copy appears at the end of this - README.INN article. - inn1.0.tar.Z The full distribution - inn.usenix.ps.Z The Usenix paper on INN - -The sites providing access are: - cs.utexas.edu /pub/inn - ftp.cs.widener.edu /pub/inn.tar.Z (or wherever). - ftp.germany.eu.net /pub/news/inn - ftp.ira.uka.de pub/network/news - ftp.msen.com /pub/packages/inn - ftp.uu.net /pub/news/nntp/inn - gatekeeper.dec.com /pub/news/inn - grasp1.univ-lyon1.fr /pub/unix/news/inn - munnari.oz.au /pub/news/inn - sparky.Sterling.COM /news/inn - src.doc.ic.ac.uk /computing/usenet/software/transport - stasys.sta.sub.org /pub/src/inn - (Stasys also has anonymous UUCP; contact . - ucsd.edu /INN - usc.edu /pub/inn - -Discussion about INN should be posted to news.software.b and -news.software.nntp. Email should be sent to . Please -do NOT send it to -- it will only just delay your response -since I will have to forward it to UUNET. - -The README follows after the formfeed. - /r$