Newsgroup-type discussions

Microsoft NNTP Service is a fully functional newsgroup server that allows users in an organization to engage in newsgroup-type discussions with other users, both inside and outside the organization.

The NNTP Service provides support for creating local discussion groups for a single server using the industry-standard NNTP protocol.

This service allows users to read articles posted by others, post articles on their own, and join conversation threads about topics of interest.

Microsoft NNTP Service takes full advantage of standard Microsoft Windows NT Server administration tools for performance monitoring and event reporting.

When you install Microsoft NNTP Service, the Setup program installs a complete set of performance monitor counters. All Microsoft NNTP Service status and error messages written to event logs for viewing with Windows NT Event Viewer.

Microsoft NNTP Service manages access to newsgroups using Windows NT Server access control lists (ACLs). By setting the permissions for the directory that contains a newsgroup, you control who can access that newsgroup. You can also specify anonymous access to allow anyone to access a newsgroup.

Graphical administration tools

Microsoft NNTP Service offers you a choice of two graphical administration tools: Internet Service Manager and NNTP Service Manager (HTML).

You can perform all administration tasks with the tool that best meets your needs. Internet Service Manager uses Microsoft Management Console (MMC) to manage Microsoft NNTP Service from a computer on the same local area network (LAN). This tool can manage all IIS components using a single interface.

NNTP Service Manager (HTML) uses a Web browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer, to manage Microsoft NNTP Service from a computer on the same network or on the Internet. This tool only requires a Web browser on the administrator's computer.

  • Microsoft NNTP Service can also write to the IIS access log to record usage statistics and transactions.
  • Microsoft NNTP Service supports the Network News Transport Protocol (NNTP) that is used for both client-to-server and server-to-server communication over the Internet. Microsoft NNTP Service supports popular NNTP extensions and is fully compatible with other NNTP clients and servers.
  • Microsoft NNTP Service supports full-text and property indexing of newsgroup content using Microsoft Index Server, which included with IIS.

The optional Microsoft Content Replication System updates the access control lists for Microsoft NNTP Service automatically across multiple servers. It saves time and simplifies security administration.

Supports Content formats

In addition, Microsoft NNTP Service supports numerous content formats including:

  • Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension (MIME)
  • Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)
  • Graphics Interchange Format (GIF)
  • Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG)

Security options

Microsoft NNTP Service supports the following three security options for protecting your organization's private information:

  • Allow Anonymous : Allows anyone to access a newsgroup without providing a user name or a password.
  • Basic Authentication : Requires users to provide a user name and a password, which are sent as clear text across the network.
  • Windows NT Challenge/Response : Requires users to provide a user name and a password, which are encrypted for secure transmission across the network.

This protocol requires the Microsoft Internet Mail and News client.

To protect the information being sent across a public network, Microsoft NNTP Service supports Secure Socket Layer (SSL) channel encryption. SSL support includes certificate support to validate the identity of clients and servers.