How to manually test usenet credentials?

Get help with all aspects of SABnzbd
Forum rules
Help us help you:
  • Are you using the latest stable version of SABnzbd? Downloads page.
  • Tell us what system you run SABnzbd on.
  • Adhere to the forum rules.
  • Do you experience problems during downloading?
    Check your connection in Status and Interface settings window.
    Use Test Server in Config > Servers.
    We will probably ask you to do a test using only basic settings.
  • Do you experience problems during repair or unpacking?
    Enable +Debug logging in the Status and Interface settings window and share the relevant parts of the log here using [ code ] sections.
Post Reply
bluenote
Jr. Member
Jr. Member
Posts: 57
Joined: November 19th, 2010, 3:28 am

How to manually test usenet credentials?

Post by bluenote »

Hey guys

Sorry this isn't directly an sabnzbd question. I have this silly 1 connection free account from gibinews, and when entering it into sabnzbd it always gives me a timeout error.

I can ping their host, though. Whatever I try in sabnzbd doesn't seem to work.

What I wanted to try next was to manually login (like through telnet) or somehow else. Is there such a way? telnetting to port 119 didn't really work.

I know I should just install another usenet client but I'd rather not have the clutter and well, maybe learn something for the future.

Can someone point me in the right direction?

thanks
User avatar
sander
Release Testers
Release Testers
Posts: 8811
Joined: January 22nd, 2008, 2:22 pm

Re: How to manually test usenet credentials?

Post by sander »

Easy:

Code: Select all

sander@R540:~$ telnet news.gibinews.eu 119
Trying 46.105.162.73...
Connected to news.hartech.eu.
Escape character is '^]'.
201 Welcome to GIBInews. Have fun (ng08)
AUTHINFO USER itsme
381 More Authentication Required
AUTHINFO PASS something
482 Authentication Rejected
quit
205 Exit articles 0, bytes 0, groups 0, posts 0, postbytes 0
Connection closed by foreign host.
sander@R540:~$
User avatar
sander
Release Testers
Release Testers
Posts: 8811
Joined: January 22nd, 2008, 2:22 pm

Re: How to manually test usenet credentials?

Post by sander »

PS:

I can't login *if* I get a connection. But now I even can't get a connection at all. Looks like a bad / overloaded server ...

Code: Select all

sander@R540:~$ telnet news.gibinews.eu 119
Trying 46.105.162.68...
Trying 46.105.162.72...
Trying 46.105.162.71...
Trying 46.105.162.66...
Trying 46.105.162.73...
Trying 46.105.162.69...
Trying 46.105.162.70...
Trying 46.105.162.67...
telnet: Unable to connect to remote host: Connection timed out
sander@R540:~$ 
User avatar
sander
Release Testers
Release Testers
Posts: 8811
Joined: January 22nd, 2008, 2:22 pm

Re: How to manually test usenet credentials?

Post by sander »

EDIT:

The password you fill out during registration, is NOT the password you use to access the newsserver. After registration and mail-confirmation, you have to go to https://gibinews.eu/en/moncompte/mon-compte and there is shows you your newsserver password.

And now SABnzbd says: "Connection Successful!"

A manual session also works well:

Code: Select all

sander@R540:~$ telnet news.gibinews.eu 119
Trying 46.105.162.86...
Connected to news.hartech.eu.
Escape character is '^]'.
201 Welcome to GIBInews. Have fun (ng06)
AUTHINFO USER blabla
381 More Authentication Required
AUTHINFO PASS aQdjdjdj
281 Authentication Accepted
help
100 Supported Commands
   MODE READER
   AUTHINFO USER <username>
   AUTHINFO PASS <password>
   LIST <active|newsgroups|overview.fmt|active.times> <pattern>
   XGTITLE <pattern>
   GROUP <newsgroup>
   LISTGROUP <newsgroup>
   NEWGROUPS <yy><yymmdd> <hhmmss>
   OVER <range|msgid>
   XOVER <range|msgid>
   XZVER <range|msgid>
   XHDR <header> <range|msgid>
   XPAT <header> <range|msgid> <pattern> <pattern..>
   NEWNEWS <newsgroup> <yymmdd> <hhmmss> <gmt|utc>
   STAT <msgid|number>
   HEAD <msgid|number>
   BODY <msgid|number>
   ARTICLE <msgid|number>
   POST
   NEXT
   LAST
   HELP
   DATE
   QUIT
The NEWNEWS command is only partly supported for single newsgroups only.
.
quit
205 Exit articles 0, bytes 0, groups 0, posts 0, postbytes 0
Connection closed by foreign host.
sander@R540:~$ 
bluenote
Jr. Member
Jr. Member
Posts: 57
Joined: November 19th, 2010, 3:28 am

Re: How to manually test usenet credentials?

Post by bluenote »

Thanks sander you are a life saver.

I can't connect at all using Putty to telnet to port 119 (it just disconnects immediately) so at least that gives me a starting point. I didn't realize that was or wasn't normal behaviour. That'll give me enough to hand off to their (unhelpful) support.

EDIT: Although I first replicated the behaviour elsewhere, I may have been using putty incorrectly. Putty changes the port after you've filled it in manually if you change the connection type, so I may have missed that the first time around. Now, I am able to telnet and get a response from my remote server, but not from home.
Seems like it may be a geo-ip issue or something, either way thanks.
Last edited by bluenote on November 1st, 2012, 3:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
sander
Release Testers
Release Testers
Posts: 8811
Joined: January 22nd, 2008, 2:22 pm

Re: How to manually test usenet credentials?

Post by sander »

Hold on: first test another server:

Code: Select all

sander@R540:~$ telnet news.xs4all.nl 119
Trying 2001:888:0:4::119...
Connected to news.xs4all.nl.
Escape character is '^]'.
quit
200 news.xs4all.nl NNRP Service Ready (posting ok).
205 Transferred 53 bytes in 0 articles, 0 groups.  Disconnecting.
Connection closed by foreign host.
sander@R540:~$
Does that work for you?
bluenote
Jr. Member
Jr. Member
Posts: 57
Joined: November 19th, 2010, 3:28 am

Re: How to manually test usenet credentials?

Post by bluenote »

Yes I confirmed that I DO get expected behaviour with other news servers. I should have thought of that originally ... :)
Post Reply