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2024-03-19 08:35 GMT

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Frequently Asked Questions
 
Q: What are the server addresses?

A: We have two server systems; one in US, one in Europe. Each can be accessed via standard connection (nntp), or SSL (nntps). (No separate SSL servers.)

  • US: us.Ngroups.NET
  • Europe: eu.Ngroups.NET

Available ports:

  • NNTP: 119, 20, 23, 53, 443, 2000, 8080, 9000, 9001, 9002
  • NNTP+SSL: (NNTPS)* : 563, 80, 81, 465, 993

*Requires an SSL enabled news client.

*Please note that the servers no longer support SSLv2, which has multiple vulnerabilities and has been deprecated since 1996. Some older Newsreaders (notably Newsleecher v4 and older, but also others) use SSLv2, and can't be used to connect via SSL directly. If you need to use an old unsupported newsreader and want to connect via SSL, you can use SSL proxy software such as stunnel to accomplish that. Please note that some newsreaders may have a config setting to turn off SSLv2, and can then be used with no extras.
 
Q: I'm getting a "502 Authentication failed" error when trying to access your servers.

A: Please check the following before opening a support ticket:
- If you have a recurring subscription, please check if the latest renewal was successful. The payment service (CCDeb or Amazon) does send an email error message to you is a recurring debit fails. You can also see the status in your account with the payment service you used. 90% of all users contacting support having issues with 502 errors are subscribers where the latest recurring debit has failed. When that happens you may need to update your payment details at the service in quuestion.
- If you are using a "Manual Renewal" account, please check so the account hasn't expired.
- If you have just paid for a new period, or just signed up, please note that it may take up to 30 minutes before your account is updated.
- Make sure your login info is configured correctly in your newsreader.

 
Q: What is your current retention in Binary groups?

A: Currently our Binary retention is up to about 3000 days. Please note that header retention may be less, but 3000 days should be available in most binary groups via message-ID. (If you use nzb files, or a reader with built-in search function.)
Both the US and EU systems have the same retention.

 
Q: Do I need a newsreader to access the newsgroups?

A: Yes. We do not provide a web interface to Usenet, so you need a newsreader like Mozilla Thunderbird or MS Outlook Express to access the newsgroups. You find some newsreaders on this link.

 
Q: I don't understand how to log in to your server!

A: You need a newsreader program to log on. (Like, for example, Outlook Express.) In your newsreader you configure your login, and which server(s) to use. Please refer to your newsreader's documentation on the details for your specific software.

 
Q: The server gives me an error when I try to access it, and I have checked my username and password, they are correct!

A: Most newsreaders have an option to toggle if the reader should try to log on to the server or not. Please make sure that the option "News server requires login" or eqvilalent is checked in your newsreader's configuration.
If it is, and the problem persist, please recheck that the login is entered correctly. The best way is to copy and paste the usernname and password from our welcome letter into your newsreader config.
You also get access denied if you have a limited account, and have passed your quota for the current period.

 
Q: When downloading I get slow download speed, why?

A: This is usually due to lack of capacity on your local net, or traffic congestion somewere on the net between you and our server location. Additionally, some ISP:s are capping usenet downloads. You may then try to use an alternate port instead of the standard port. Currently the standard port 119 and alternate port 443 are available for connections to the standard servers, and the standard port 563 and alternate ports 80 and 81 are available for the SSL servers. (See above.)

 
Q: Why are there articles missing in the binaries newsgroups?

A: This happen for several reasons. First of all binaries articles become incomplete when the individual parts begin to expire from a server. If articles are incomplete already when new, the most likely reason is that some of the articles (or parts of articles) were filtered out as spam before they reached our servers. Many news servers limit the maximum article size and if any articles are in excess of that size the server will cancel it automatically and it will not propagate out. Also, all news servers have the right to filter out anything that passes through their server. Keep in mind that usenet was designed to carry only plain text, not large binary files.

Other causes may be:

  • The post may be removed due to DMCA.
  • The poster may have used a bad posting server, where the post didn't propagate out to other servers.
  • Bad posting software. Some posters use posting software that creates invalid Message-IDs, caiusing those articles to either not propagate correctly, or not be found by the server software, since the message-IDs doesn't follow correct RFC standard.
  • Propagation delays. The message, picture or other post may be part of a batch but for some reason did not make it to the main server.
    Sometimes these posts appear anytime up to 48 hours after they were originally posted.
  • The poster missed the particular file while posting. (easily done)
  • There was an error in the file and it was not posted or the news server rejected it. Some posting software and peer servers can reject files with errors.
  • The post was missed in some way by the person downloading it.

Suggestions:

Before asking for a repost the following steps should be taken.

  1. Use par or par2 files, if available.
  2. Do a normal header refresh for the particular newsgroup to make sure you do not miss any recent posts.
  3. Delete all headers from the newsgroup and then make sure you clear the cache for the group.
  4. Unsubscribe from the group making sure that you do not save any settings.
  5. Re-subscribe to the group.
  6. Download all headers for the group.
  7. Check to see if the missing files are there.

Processing binary articles places several times as much strain on the server as plain text articles do. For these reasons no guarantee regarding completeness of binary articles is expressed or implied by us.

 
Q: Some articles that I post to your servers do not seem to propagate to other news servers, why?

A: Another news server may be canceling them . We can take no further responsibility for articles not propagating once they have been sent to our upstream servers. Another reason could be if you have a record of abuse on our servers your posting access may have been disabled. Once your posting access has been disabled due to posting abuse it will never be restored, so don't even ask. Nor will we issue refunds for this reason.

 
Q: When is the monthly download limit reset?

A: The monthly download limit is reset on the same day in the month as you signed up, 00:00 GMT

 
Q: When is the weekly download limit reset?

A: The weekly download limit is reset at Mondays 00:00 GMT

 
Q: How many simultaneous connections can I have to your servers?

A: "Unlimited Extra" subscribers may use up to 60 simultaneous connections. All other account types are allowed 30 simultaneous connections to our server systems, to increase speed and reliability.

 
Q: Can I connect from more than one IP address simultaneously?

A: No, only one IP at a time is allowed. The accounts are for personal use only, and allowing more than one IP would open up for account sharing, so we can't afford to allow that.

 
Q: I just signed up, and I haven't received my username or password!

A: The username and password, as well as other information concerning our servers and services, is sent automatically to the e-mail address that you have registrered at the payment processor, CCDeb. Please check that you have received a receipt from CCDeb. If not, the address you have provided CCDeb is probably incorrect. Please correct it in your CCDeb account and contact us providing the correct address.

 
Q: I have lost my username and/or password. What do I need to do?

A: Use our lost login form, and you will get them sent to you automatically.

 
Q: How do I cancel my subscription?

A: On the signup page there is a "Cancel Subscription" link, that will take you to a page detailing how to cancel, depending on which service you used for signup. (Or you can use this link.) Your account will still be active until the end of the current period. Please note that only automatically recurring subscriptions can be cancelled. Manual renewal accounts automatically expire if not renewed.

 
Q: I need to change the credit card I am using to subscribe. What do I need to do?

A: Log in to your account at CCDeb or Amazon, depending on who the payment processor is. There you may change your active credit card. If you are using Amazon Payments, click the Change Payment Method link

 
 
Q: I want to use your VPN service. How do I set that up?

A: Log in to your control panel (top of this page), and activate the VPN service. Access information is shown in the control panel after activation. Please note that you need an Unlimited (Eco or Extra) account to get access to the VPN service.