The INN news server comes with a command to manage its day-to-day operation. The ctlinnd command can be used to manipulate newsgroups and newsgroup feeds, to obtain the status, of the server, and to reload, stop, and start the server.
You'd normally get a summary of the ctlinnd command syntax using:
# ctlinnd -h |
We'll cover some of the more important uses of ctlinnd here; please consult the ctlinnd manual page for more detail.
Use the following syntax to add a new group:
ctlinnd newgroup group rest creator |
The arguments are defined as follows:
The name of the group to create.
This argument should be coded in the same way as the flags field of the active file. It defaults to y if not supplied.
The name of the person creating the group. Enclose it in quotes if there are any spaces in the name.
Use the following syntax to change a group:
ctlinnd changegroup group rest |
The arguments are defined as follows:
The name of the group to change.
This argument should be coded in the same way as the flags field of the active file.
This command is useful to change the moderation status of a group.
Use the following syntax to remove a group:
ctlinnd rmgroup group |
The argument is defined as follows:
The name of the group to remove.
This command removes the specified newsgroup from the active file. It has no effect on the news spool. All articles in the spool for the specified group will be expired in the usual fashion, but no new articles will be accepted.
Use the following syntax to renumber a group:
ctlinnd renumber group |
The argument is defined as follows:
The name of the group to renumber. If a group is an empty string, all groups are renumbered.
This command updates the low-water mark for the specified group.
Use the following syntax to allow or disallow newsreaders:
ctlinnd readers flag text |
The arguments are defined as follows:
Specifying n causes all newsreader connections to be disallowed. Specifying y allows newsreader connections.
The text supplied will be given to newsreaders who attempt to connect, and usually describes the reason for disabling newsreader access. When reenabling newsreader access, this field must be either an empty string or a copy of the text supplied when the newsreader was disabled.
This command does not affect incoming newsfeeds. It only controls connections from newsreaders.
Use the following syntax to reject newsfeed connections:
ctlinnd reject reason |
The argument is defined as follows:
The text supplied should explain why incoming connections to innd are rejected.
This command does not affect connections that are handed off to nnrpd (i.e., newsreaders); it only affects connections that would be handled by innd directly, such as remote newsfeeds.
Use the following syntax to allow newsfeed connections:
ctlinnd allow reason |
The argument is defined as follows:
The supplied text must be the same as that supplied to the preceding reject command or an empty string.
This command reverses the effect of a reject command.
Use the following syntax to disable the news server:
ctlinnd throttle reason |
The argument is defined as follows:
The reason for throttling the server.
This command is simultaneously equivalent to a newsreaders no and a reject, and is useful when emergency work is performed on the news database. It ensures that nothing attempts to update it while you are working on it.
Use the following syntax to restart the news server:
ctlinnd go reason |
The argument is defined as follows:
The reason given when stopping the server. If this field is an empty string, the server will be reenabled unconditionally. If a reason is given, only those functions disabled with a reason matching the supplied text will be restarted.
This command is used to restart a server function after a throttle, pause, or reject command.
Use the following syntax to display the status of a newsfeed:
ctlinnd feedinfo site |
The argument is defined as follows:
The site name (taken from the newsfeeds file) for which you wish to display the newsfeed's status.
Use the following syntax to drop a newsfeed:
ctlinnd drop site |
The argument is defined as follows:
The name of the site (taken from the newsfeeds file) to which feeds are dropped. If this field is an empty string, all active feeds will be dropped.
Dropping a newsfeed to a site halts any active feeds to the site. It is not a permanent change. This command would be useful if you've modified the feed details for a site and a feed to that site is active.
Use the following syntax to begin a newsfeed:
ctlinnd begin site |
The argument is defined as follows:
The name of the site from the newsfeeds file to which feeds are started. If a feed to the site is already active, a drop command is done first automatically.
This command causes the server to reread the newsfeeds file, locate the matching entry, and commence a newsfeed to the named site using the details found. You can use this command to test a new news feed to a site after you've added or modified its entry in the newsfeeds file.
Use the following syntax to cancel an article:
ctlinnd cancel Message-Id |
The argument is defined as follows:
The ID of the article to be cancelled.
This command causes the specified article to be deleted from the server. It does not generate a cancel message.