INN (InterNetNews) for Slackware and Debian Linux
=================================================

This is the INN binary distribution for Linux.


System requirements:
--------------------

	- ld.so
	- libc.so.4 -> libc.so.4.5.19
	- smail or sendmail mail package

Slackware 1.1.2 and possibly Debian, too, are platforms where
inn runs without problems.


INSTALLATION:
-------------

a) Unpack the package with your proper package tools
   On Slackware Linux this is the utility pkgtool.

b) Make sure that your system has a user and group "news"
   and that you use the same UID and group ID !

   /etc/passwd
		news::9:13:news:/usr/lib/news:
		      |  |____ GID 13 !
		      |_______ UID 9 !

   /etc/group
		news::13:news
		       |______ GID 13 !

c) There must be a mail alias for the user usenet
   in /usr/lib/aliases, since some scripts want to send mail
   to ``usenet''.

   /usr/lib/aliases:
		news: root
		usenet: root

   Rebuild the dbm alias database with the command:

	# newaliases

d) Add the inn startup script ``rc.news'' to your system 
   start procedure rc.local (mostly found in /etc or /etc/rc.d:

	# start inn
	/usr/lib/news/etc/rc.news

e) copy the crontab sample file crontab-news
   to /usr/spool/cron/crontabs/news and modify it.
   Change the name of your news backbone.

f) Note, that the news LIBDIR is now in /usr/lib/news.
   Since many newsreader are preconfigured to expect news config
   files in /usr/local/lib/news you should make a symbolic link

	# ln -s /usr/lib/news /usr/local/lib/news

  Possibly you have to remove the directory /usr/local/lib/news
  first if it already exists from an older cnews installation.

g) The News spool directory is /var/spool/news. If you have already
   news articles on your system, but in a different location, then
   remove the directory /var/spool/news if it already exists
   and make a symbolic link to your news spool directory (for example
   to /news):

	# ln -s /news /var/spool/news

h) Modify the news config files in /usr/lib/news:

   The entries are from my running system.
   manlobbi is the news server, knobel - my site - is the news client.
   You should browse through the following files in /usr/lib/news:

	expire.ctl hosts.nntp inn.conf moderators newsfeeds 
	nnrp.access nntpsend.ctl passwd.nntp

i) create an empty history database and log files

	 :>/usr/lib/news/history
	 :>/usr/lib/news/history.dir
	 :>/usr/lib/news/history.pag
	 :>/usr/lib/news/errlog
	 :>/usr/lib/news/log
	 chmod 664 /usr/lib/news/{history*,log,errlog}
	 chown news.news /usr/lib/news/{history*,log,errlog}

j) run the script makekdirs.sh as root.

k) Read the manual page news-recovery(8). It contains information
   how to recover your news system after upgrading to inn.

l) Make sure the your uucp Permission file allows uux to
   run the scripts rnews or grnews 

   If you have taylor uucp using taylor uucp config style then
   edit for example the file /etc/uucp/sys ....

	commands /usr/bin/uucp /bin/rmail /usr/lib/news/rnews /usr/lib/news/grnews 

 

m) Examine your /etc/syslog.conf file. The default with Slackware is

   *.warn             /usr/adm/syslog

   Which causes a syslog entry AND a disk access for every arriving article
   with unbatched nntp. (One could also use batching :-)

   I changed mine to

   *.err              /usr/adm/syslog

n) Start innd if you haven't already

   /usr/lib/news/etc/rc.news





And finally:


PLEASE READ THE DOCUMENTATION ABOUT HOW INN WORKS.  It will help you
a lot to come from a position of understanding the architecture of INN.