========================================== sample NNTP session using the "nc" command ========================================== -Ian! D. Allen - idallen@idallen.ca The "nc" TCP/IP "Swiss Army Knife" program is a "pure" way to connect your keyboard with a remote TCP/IP daemon. It is similar to "telnet", except it doesn't try to auto-negotiate any line parameters first. It is useful for connecting directly to many text-based Internet protocols. One such protocol is the Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP) used to send and receive USENET News over the Internet. It is documented in RFC977: http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc977.html My input is marked by "*" in the examples below. This particular NNTP server has some HELP commands enabled. * $ nc -v news.idallen.com nntp news.idallen.com [206.47.37.39] 119 (nntp) open 200 localhost DNEWS Version 5.7b1,, S0, posting OK * HELP 100 Legal commands authinfo user Name|pass Password article [MessageID|Number] body [MessageID|Number] check MessageID date group newsgroup head [MessageID|Number] help ihave last list [active|active.times|newsgroups|subscriptions] listgroup newsgroup mode stream mode reader newgroups yymmdd hhmmss [GMT] [] newnews newsgroups yymmdd hhmmss [GMT] [] next post slave stat [MessageID|Number] takethis MessageID xgtitle [group_pattern] xhdr header [range|MessageID] xover [range] xpat header range|MessageID pat [morepat...] . * list 215 list of newsgroups follows control 2 2 y control.cancel 102 2 y news.announce.newusers 4759 4745 m news.newusers.questions 503924 503633 m ott.business.ads 38231 37827 y [... 269 more lines of available news groups deleted here ...] idallen.net2003.06w.announce 8 3 m idallen.net2003.06w.discussion 44 3 y . * listgroup idallen.net2003.06w.announce 211 Article list follows 3 4 5 6 7 8 . * head 5 221 5 article retrieved - head follows From: idallen@idallen.ca (Ian! D. Allen) Newsgroups: idallen.net2003.06w.announce Subject: Midterm #1 - Tuesday, January 31, 2006 Followup-To: idallen.net2003.06w.discussion Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 08:41:44 -0500 (EST) Organization: Ian! Ottawa, CANADA. http://www.idallen.com/ Lines: 8 Sender: idallen@elm.home.idallen.ca Approved: idallen@freenet.carleton.ca Message-ID: Reply-To: idallen@idallen.ca (Ian! D. Allen) NNTP-Posting-Host: mailhost.home.idallen.ca X-Original-NNTP-Posting-Host: mailhost.home.idallen.ca X-Trace: news.idallen.com 1138110104 192.168.9.250 (24 Jan 2006 08:41:44 -0500) Path: news.idallen.com!cpu1808.adsl.bellglobal.com!not-for-mail Xref: localhost idallen.net2003.06w.announce:5 . * body 5 222 5 article retrieved - body follows As mentioned on the Course Home Page, your first midterm test takes place in-class on Tuesday, January 31. Look for a practice midterm test to be posted later this week. -- -IAN! Ian! D. Allen Ottawa, Ontario, Canada - www.ottawa.ca EMail: idallen@idallen.ca Home Page: http://www.idallen.com/ College professor (Linux) via: http://teaching.idallen.com/ Support free and open public digital rights: http://eff.org/ . * quit 205 closing connection - goodbye! $