Path: ...!weretis.net!feeder9.news.weretis.net!panix!.POSTED.localhost!not-for-mail
From: Tristan Miller <tmiller@big-8.org>
Newsgroups: news.admin.misc
Subject: How does your server handle rmgroup control messages?
Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2025 22:08:45 -0500
Organization: Usenet Big-8 Management Board
Message-ID: <vs7o7t$rie$1@reader1.panix.com>
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Dear all,

The Big-8 Management Board has posted an RFD to remove 99 disused 
moderated groups [1].  One of the points raised in the discussion is 
whether removing these groups might irretrievably destroy their 
contents, which could hinder people doing (historical) research.  The 
Board is therefore seeking information from server administrators 
concerning their article retention and archiving policies for deleted 
groups.  We're particularly interested in hearing from admins of public 
servers (that is, those that allow read access from the general public, 
whether for free or for a fee) but would also be happy to hear about 
servers operated for personal use or for use within an organization. 
What we'd like to know is as follows:

1. Is your server set up to process control messages to remove groups, 
or does it automatically ignore them?  If it does process them, is this 
process automatic or does it require manual intervention?

2. If your server does process control messages, what action does your 
server normally take for an rmgroup?  For example, does it remove the 
group entirely so that users can no longer see and access it, or does it 
simply mark the group as read-only so that users can still subscribe and 
read but not post to it?

3. How long does your server retain articles in deleted groups, and is 
this retention limit any different from that of active groups?

4. Do you make archives of posts in deleted groups that are accessible 
other than via NNTP (e.g., via a website)?  If so, do these archives 
faithfully preserve the article headers and bodies?  Do you make these 
archives available to your users, enquirers, and/or the general public?

Regards,
Tristan

[1] <news:vqq7tf$ehn$1@reader1.panix.com>

-- 
Usenet Big-8 Management Board
https://www.big-8.org/
board@big-8.org