Each Network Discussion Forum Hosting Services plan implements a private Network News service specifically for you or your business. Each plan includes a specified number of public or private newsgroups, along with disk space and network traffic allowances designed to support anticipated newsgroup needs.

Questions and Answers

What is are Newsgroups?

A newsgroup is a collection of messages posted by individuals to a news server (a computer that can host thousands of newsgroups).

You can find newsgroups on practically any subject. Although some newsgroups are moderated, most are not. Moderated newsgroups are "owned" by someone who reviews the postings, can answer questions, delete inappropriate messages, and so forth. Anyone can post messages to a newsgroup. Newsgroups do not require any kind of membership or joining fees.

What is a Newsgroup Service?

A Newsgroup Service implements NNTP, which is a client/server protocol. The  NNTP Service functions as the server; programs such as Microsoft Outlook or Microsoft Outlook Express is an example of a typical client.

What is a Public Newsgroup Service?

A Public Newsgroup Service is a NNTP service that is available to all members of the general public.

What is a Private Newsgroup Service?

A Private Newsgroup Service is a newsgroup service that can only be connected to if a required user identification code and password is supplied.

How many messages can each newsgroup store?

There is no specific limit on the number of messages you are permitted to store within a newsgroup.

Can a time limit for messages be defined?

Yes. By default, there is no time limit for the storage of messages so messages will stay in each newsgroup until they are deleted. You may request that EPI define an expiration policy for articles posted to your newsgroups in which case you may specify a time limit for messages. Messages older than this time limit will will automatically be deleted by the news service.

Is there a limit to the size of individual messages posted to my newsgroups?

Yes. The default maximum message size is 1,000 KB (kilobytes) and the maximum total size of new messages a user may post during a given session is 20 MB (megabytes). If you wish, you may ask us to increase or decrease these limits.