One server for headers only, the other for articles only

[rh]

It doesn't seem like the master/slave does what I want. I get everything from a single server, Giganews. I'd just like to define two instances so I can separate the download stats between articles/headers. I'm too lazy to go online every time I want the stats.

From http://help.newsbin.com/index.php/V600-Tabs-Servers, are my edits correct?

Master Server: This connection will be used to download headers and will be the first server tried when fetching articles.
Slave Server: This connection will only be used to download articles, and only If they can't be retrieved from the Master Server.

[Quade]

Set one server to be "Master"/"Fill"

Set the other to be "Slave"/Not Fill.

Master/Slave just controls headers, fill/no fill just controls article downloads.

[Ribble]

Menu Tab "View/Servers" and right click for options "Master-Slave" and "Normal-Fill". Never saw this before. Thanks.

I have one "Master Normal" and three "Slave FillServer".

One "Slave FillServer" only provides one month of headers and downloads. When I download latest headers from this server, I end up with one month of headers total. Previous three years of headers from the "Master Normal" server are deleted(?).

Tried running two Newsbins on same computer with different Configuration files and got bad results. And I really don't want to edit Configuration files just to get headers from the one month Server.


Problem workaround:
On a second computer, a second NewsBin uses only the one month Server and by sharing files I can get fills.

Is there a better way to get headers from the one month server?

[Quade]

I don't use the server tab myself. All of this can be done from the server options windows too.

One "Slave FillServer" only provides one month of headers and downloads. When I download latest headers from this server, I end up with one month of headers total. Previous three years of headers from the "Master Normal" server are deleted(?).

It shouldn't download any headers from this server normally. It won't delete the other servers headers unless you told it to delete them. "Download all" for instance will wipe the headers for the group.

I don't actually get what you're asking here. Why download headers from the one month server at all?

[Ribble]

Why download headers from the one month server at all?

Precisely! It is my fill server. My master server has a lot of incompletes that show up only when I actually download parts. With damaged headers the master doesn't try to download the "missing" segements. With nothing to retry, the fill server isn't tried either.


The fill server may have complete segments, but I don't know that unless I download headers from the fill server.

It won't delete the other servers headers unless you told it to delete them

.

I will try letting the fill server download headers (again). I think I tried that twice already and had to recover by importing Ver 5 headers. Otherwise the result is one month of headers total and even the master server would download again latest months headers.


Quade, thanks for your replies and your efforts to understand what I am asking.

[Quade]

Fill/not fill has nothing to do with headers so, I wouldn't even mention those modes in this context.

Sounds like you have 2 crappy servers, one with long retention but, poor completion, one with short retention but, decent completion. I'd either download headers from both or just download headers from the short retention one. Over time, the headers you have on disk will grow to be longer retention. Your other option is to get a good server that doesn't have either of these problems.

You shouldn't be losing any headers unless you do a "Download all Headers" in which case the group is wiped, my guess is that's what you're doing and that explains why you have to re-import. You can delete the "Range.db3" for these groups and that'll make Newsbin reset and re-download headers without purging the ones that are there. It obeys "Download Age" if you delete the range.db3.

[Ribble]

Sounds like you have 2 crappy servers, one with long retention but, poor completion

stevef disagrees.

I suspect that I did try "Download all Headers" from the fill server. Will try enabling headers later this week on another computer, and also deleting "Range.db3" and watching what happens. Thanks Quade.

[Ribble]

Letting the slave server download headers works. Headers from both servers now united.

"Download All Headers" from the one month retention server must have been deleting all long retention headers first.

Thanks Quade. It is nice to see headers from both servers.