Managing INN: The ctlinnd Command

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23.7. Managing INN: The ctlinnd Command
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.
23.7.1. Add a New Group
Use the following syntax to add a new group:
ctlinnd newgroup group rest creator
The arguments are defined as follows:
group
The name of the group to create.
rest
This argument should be coded in the same way as the flags field of the active file. It defaults to y if not supplied.
creator
The name of the person creating the group. Enclose it in quotes if there are any spaces in the name.
23.7.2. Change a Group
Use the following syntax to change a group:
ctlinnd changegroup group rest
The arguments are defined as follows:
group
The name of the group to change.
rest
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.
23.7.3. Remove a Group
Use the following syntax to remove a group:
ctlinnd rmgroup group
The argument is defined as follows:
group
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.
23.7.4. Renumber a Group
Use the following syntax to renumber a group:
ctlinnd renumber group
The argument is defined as follows:
group
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.
23.7.5. Allow/Disallow Newsreaders
Use the following syntax to allow or disallow newsreaders:
ctlinnd readers flag text
The arguments are defined as follows:
flag
Specifying n causes all newsreader connections to be disallowed. Specifying y allows newsreader connections.
text
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.
23.7.6. Reject Newsfeed Connections
Use the following syntax to reject newsfeed connections:
ctlinnd reject reason
The argument is defined as follows:
reason
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.
23.7.7. Allow Newsfeed Connections
Use the following syntax to allow newsfeed connections:
ctlinnd allow reason
The argument is defined as follows:
reason
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.
23.7.8. Disable News Server
Use the following syntax to disable the news server:
ctlinnd throttle reason
The argument is defined as follows:
reason
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.
23.7.9. Restart News Server
Use the following syntax to restart the news server:
ctlinnd go reason
The argument is defined as follows:
reason
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.
23.7.10. Display Status of a Newsfeed
Use the following syntax to display the status of a newsfeed:
ctlinnd feedinfo site
The argument is defined as follows:
site
The site name (taken from the newsfeeds file) for which you wish to display the newsfeed's status.
23.7.11. Drop a Newsfeed
Use the following syntax to drop a newsfeed:
ctlinnd drop site
The argument is defined as follows:
site
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.
23.7.12. Begin a Newsfeed
Use the following syntax to begin a newsfeed:
ctlinnd begin site
The argument is defined as follows:
site
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.
23.7.13. Cancel an Article
Use the following syntax to cancel an article:
ctlinnd cancel Message-Id
The argument is defined as follows:
Message-ID
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.
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