[Techtalk] NNTPCache - Access List

[Subba Rao]

Hi,

I am new to NNTPCache server.  The compilation and installation went fine but I
am having little trouble understanding the configuration.  The following is
some of the configuration from nntpcache.config file:

======================================================
# the default policy is no access.
# the following line reverses this
#
# host patern           group           permissions     filters userfiles
#
*                       *               read,post
# whatever is not denied is permitted; we are now a woodstock access file.
# cooling!
# but hendrix is dead, and the world has moved into a new reign
# of conservatism. not so cool.
*                       *               deny
# we are now a french legal system access file. users are guilty until
# proven innocent (mmmmmmmmmmmmmm. guilty users). Okay, okay it's
# the French legal system before la pr?somption d'innocence.
#
# credentials for internal nocem daemon
<nocem at nntpcache>       *               read,quick

# developers get full access to everything, regardless
# of what subsequent rules say
#
polysynaptic.iq.org     *               read,post,quick
# allow anyone from localhost to conncet to the web statistics port
localhost               <http>          read,quick
# full access for our local network
localhost               *               read,post,filter        spam.filter
suburbia.net            *               read,post
======================================================


The first line says the default policy is "no access" and yet it opens it up to
pretty much everything.  The configuration says that the developers have full
access no matter what the configuration file says.  Is this the developers
sick joke while documenting the configuration file or is it real?

According to the configuration.access file, there are a bunch of sites and
servers that can access the server.  Although my iptables would limit that
access, is there lot careless access to the new servers these days?

-- 
Subba Rao
subba9 at cablespeed.com
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