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Full Form of NNTP

NNTP's full form is Network News Transfer Protocol. This protocol is used for connecting Usenet to the internet worldwide. It is a client to many web browsers such as Opera, Netscape, and Internet Explorer. Sometimes these browsers will use the newsreaders. 

A newsreader is a software app that uses NNTP to read the Usenet articles or directly from the news server's disks. 

History of NNTP

  • In the past years, the news-sharing process was different. It had a centralized news service. Even though these distributed file systems could work with computers and identical OS, they could not provide services to a wide client services range. 
  • Then, NNTP came to the point. This has made the Usenet servers easily interact with others on the internet using NNTP. 
  • Before NNTP came to the point, NNRP was proposed for specific use by clients. 
  • But the protocol was never implemented, and the NNTP command was recommended to clients. 

NNTP Commands

  • ARTICLE - Used to retrieve any article from the news server. 
  • GROUP - Select the specific newsgroup.
  • NEWSGROUPS - Used for receiving the list of newsgroups created after a specific date and time.
  • NEWNEWS - Used for receiving the list of articles created after a specific date and time.
  • IHAVE - Tells the server that the client already has the article the server is searching for. 
  • LIST - Recovers the list of newsgroups already available on the server. 
  • POST - Used for posting a message or replying to existing news.
  • NEXT - Used for going to the next message in any newsgroup.  

Characteristics of NNTP

  • It helps to connect various group discussions on the internet. 
  • These servers manage a global network for newsgroups. 
  • The Usenet can be easily accessed from a remote system.

Advantages of NNTP

  • Command names are easy to remember. For instance, ARTICLE, POST, NEXT, etc. 
  • Allows the user to use any news easily.
  • Does not need any central server. 
  • It supports both server-server and client-server communication.

Disadvantages of NNTP

  • It would be risky if users enter the bastion hosts to read the news.
  • It gets more extensive. 
  • Working over it through Telnet becomes a pain. 

Response Codes of NNTP

  • 200 server ready - posting allowed
  • 201 server ready - no posting allowed
  • 202 slave status noted
  • 205 closing connection - goodbye!
  • 211 n f l s group selected
  • 215 list of newsgroups follows
  • 220 n <a> article retrieved - head and body follow 221 n <a> article retrieved - head follows
  • 222 n <a> article retrieved - body follows
  • 223 n <a> article retrieved - request text separately 230 list of news articles by message-id follows
  • 231 list of new newsgroups follows
  • 235 article transferred ok
  • 240 article posted ok
  • 400 service discontinued
  • 411 no such news group
  • 421 no next article in this group
  • 422 no previous article in this group
  • 423 no such article number in this group
  • 430 no such article found
  • 435 article not wanted - do not send it
  • 436 transfer failed - try again later
  • 437 article rejected - do not try again
  • 440 posting not allowed
  • 441 posting failed
  • 500 command not recognized
  • 501 command syntax error
  • 502 access restriction or permission denied
  • 503 program fault - command not performed

NNTP Server Status Code and Its Meaning

  • 1xx - General information
  • 2xx - Message received, execution successful
  • 3xx - Message received, further information is required
  • 4xx - Message received, execution unsuccessful
  • 5xx - Invalid command 
  • x0x - Information about the connection, setup, or something else
  • x1x - Information about the selected newsgroup
  • x2x - Information about the selected article
  • x3x - Information about the message transfer
  • x4x - Information about the sent article
  • x5x - Authentication response
  • x8x - Message for extended non-standard commands
  • x9x - Debugging message

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1: Is NNTP a TCP or UDP?

Ans: NNTP is a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) based service. 

Q2: What port number is used in NNTP?

Ans: Since NNTP is a TCP-based protocol, it uses port 119. 

Q3: Is NNTP Protocol Secured?

Ans: Since the NNTP protocol has access to the application layer and relies on the TCP protocol, it ensures a secure and reliable data transfer.