2026-10-22 10:10:41 -06:00
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# Usenet and local newsgroups
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The current shell host runs INN 2.7.3. Its reader rules, peer list, and spool
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configuration were not supplied. The old Fedora 32 setup and manual history
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rebuild have been replaced here with a local-first deployment procedure.
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## Install and inspect the packaged layout
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```bash
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dnf install inn slrn
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rpm -ql inn
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systemctl cat innd.service
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```
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Use the config, service account, spool, history, and log paths supplied by that
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package. Do not replace `pathnews` with `/usr/local/news` merely because an old
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source-install guide used it. Keep a copy of the packaged examples and consult
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the installed `inn.conf(5)` and `readers.conf(5)` manuals.
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In `inn.conf`, set your own `organization`, `pathhost`, `domain`, and reader
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`server` name. Retain the packaged storage/history layout until you have a
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reason to change it. Keep the first deployment reachable only from loopback or
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an explicit trusted network, using both the service's bind policy and the
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firewall.
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## Local reader policy
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INN separates reader authentication from reader access. A small example
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`readers.conf` for trusted localhost shell clients is:
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```text
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auth "shell-local" {
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hosts: "127.0.0.1,::1"
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default: "<shell-local>"
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}
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access "shell-local" {
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users: "<shell-local>"
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read: "local.*"
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post: "local.*"
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}
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```
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This deliberately trusts connections originating on the machine and does not
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authenticate an individual shell user. Decide whether that is sufficient for
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your community. It is not an appropriate anonymous Internet posting policy.
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Review the whole file: another broad auth/access block can grant access you
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did not intend, and matching order matters.
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Use the package's `inncheck` as the news service user, fix reported errors,
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then start `innd`. Locate the packaged admin binaries if they are not on PATH:
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```bash
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rpm -ql inn | rg '/(inncheck|ctlinnd|news.daily)$'
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systemctl enable --now innd
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```
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Create a disposable local group with the installed `ctlinnd newgroup` command,
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for example `local.test`, as the news service user. Read, post, and retrieve a
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test article with a local client. Check the configured spool and logs after a
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restart. Test that a client outside the permitted source range is denied.
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## Expiry and maintenance
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Inspect the packaged expiry timer and cron integration before adding another
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job. Configure `expire.ctl` for the groups and retention you intend to keep,
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then verify `news.daily` actually runs. Monitor spool blocks and inodes, history
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size, failures, and feed queues. A job in a document is not evidence that it is
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scheduled on the host.
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Back up the config and recovery-critical spool/history state according to the
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storage method and upstream recovery procedure. Do not run an old `makehistory`
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recipe against a live spool without confirming the storage method, paths,
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backups, and downtime requirements. Never move guessed `.hash`, `.dir`, or
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`.index` files into place because they appeared in a guide for another INN version.
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## Remote readers and peering
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Keep these separate. TLS/authenticated reader access has a different purpose
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from server-to-server article feeds. Before adding a remote peer, agree on
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names, source addresses, offered groups, moderation/control policy, volume,
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spam handling, and feed authentication. Configure `incoming.conf` and
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`newsfeeds` for those peers specifically. Do not use a wildcard peer rule or
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open reader posting simply to make a connection test pass.
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Use the current [INN documentation](https://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/software/inn/docs/),
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including [reader access](https://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/software/inn/docs/readers.conf.html)
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and [installation](https://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/software/inn/docs/install.html).
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