From: don-aitken@freeuk.com 
  
 On Thu, 22 Jan 2004 11:57:48 +0000, Kevin  wrote: 
  
 > 
 >When a 'cross-posted' message is sent from my computer. 
 >(it is sent initially as one message to my ISP.) 
 >How is it then propagated / distributed /split (or not) and then 
 >picked up in each group etc.  on leaving the local ISP's server,? 
 > 
 >where is the message stored while it is kept live? 
 > 
 >Can someone explain  R FC850/ R FC1036 a little simpler? 
 >I need to re-explain it to someone else:-( 
 > 
 Here's a simplified version. It stays as one message throughout. In 
 principle a news server doesn't know anything about "groups", only 
 messages. Each message has a set of headers, including a "Newsgroups:" 
 header, which specifies the list of groups it "belongs" to. When a 
 news client asks for the messages in a particular group, it gets sent 
 all the messages which have that group specified in the "Newsgroups:" 
 header. 
  
 There is a complication, because many news providers, in these days of 
 increasing volume, find it necessary to split their news database over 
 more than one server. One way of doing this is to split them by group; 
 where this is done there may be more than one copy of the same 
 message, one on each server which carries any of the groups specified. 
  
 -- 
 Don Aitken 
  
 Mail to the addresses given in the headers is no longer being 
 read. To mail me, substitute "clara.co.uk" for "freeuk.com". 
  
 --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05 
  * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)