NAME

       nnrp.access - access file for on-campus NNTP sites

DESCRIPTION

       The  file /etc/news/nnrp.access specifies the access control for those NNTP sites that are not handled by
       the main InterNetNews daemon innd(8).  The nnrpd(8) server reads it when first spawned by innd.

       Comments begin with a number sign (``#'') and continue through the end of  the  line.   Blank  lines  and
       comments are ignored.  All other lines should consist of five fields separated by colons:
              hosts:perms:username:password:patterns

       The first field is a wildmat(3)-style pattern specifying the names or Internet address of a set of hosts.
       Before  a  match is checked, the client's hostname (or its Internet address if gethostbyaddr(3) fails) is
       converted to lowercase.  Each line is matched in turn, and the last successful  match  is  taken  as  the
       correct one.

       The  second field is a set of letters specifying the permissions granted to the client.  The perms should
       be chosen from the following set:
              R    The client can retrieve articles
              P    The client can post articles

       The third and fourth fields specify the username and password that the client must  use  to  authenticate
       themselves  before  the  server  will  accept  any  articles.   Note that no authentication (other then a
       matching entry in this file) is required for newsreading.   If  they  are  empty,  then  no  password  is
       required.   Whitespace  in  these  fields will result in the client being unable to properly authenticate
       themselves and may be used to disable access.

       The fifth field is a set of patterns identifying the newsgroups that the client  is  allowed  to  access.
       The  patterns  are interpreted in the same manner as the newsfeeds(5) file.  The default, however, denies
       access to all groups.

       The access file is normally used to provide host-level access control for reading and  posting  articles.
       There  are times, however, when this is not sufficient and user-level access control is needed.  Whenever
       an NNTP ``authinfo'' command is used, the nnrpd server re-reads  this  file  and  looks  for  a  matching
       username  and password.  If the local newsreaders are modified to send the ``authinfo'' command, then all
       host entries can have no access and specific users can be granted the appropriate read and post access.

       For example:
              ##  host:perm:user:pass:groups
              ## Default is no access.
              *::  -no-  :  -no-  :!*
              ##  FOO hosts have no password, can read anything.
              *.foo.com:Read Post:::*
              ##  A related workstation can't access FOO newsgroups.
              lenox.foo.net:RP:martha:hiatt:*,!foo.*

       If the file contains passwords, it should not be world-readable.

HISTORY

       Written by Rich $alz <rsalz@uunet.uu.net> for InterNetNews.  This is revision 1.11, dated 1996/09/06.

SEE ALSO

       innd(8), newsfeeds(5), nnrpd(8), wildmat(3).

                                                                                                  NNRP.ACCESS(5)