Two news servers - both seem to download the same headers

[dane]

Hi - probably should have posted this in the newbie section. I've added a newserver to newsbin - the old one has priority 1 and the new one priority 2. I expected that the priority 1 server would download headers and the priority 2 server would fill in any that it had that were missed by the other.

However, in the download window, both seem to be processing the exact same number of articles for each group. Have I set this up wrong, or am I just missing something?

Thanks,
DaDane

[Quade]

There's an option in the server settings to tell Newsbin not to download headers from a server. It's not related to priority.

[dane]

Thanks Quade - I thought that there might be discrepancies between the headers indexed by different servers. Your response seems to indicate that's not so and the backup server needn't download headers at all. Then is a backup server insurance against a circumstance in which the primary server has the header but for some reason is not able to completely download the requested data? If so, is that a common occurence worth maintaining a backup server?

As always, thanks,
DaDane

[Quade]

I only download headers from one good server. Historically you'd sometimes find a server that might be missing header that other's had.

Most news servers today come from I believe only 3-4 companies. With lots of different names.

[mimauk]

As a point of interest, I only use the one provider but download headers from both its US server and also its European server - they both have a different server address. Some headers are allowed on the European server ( I think it's in Amsterdam ) and not on the US server and vice versa.

[dane]

That's interesting - thanks Mimauk

[dane]

Thanks Quade - hate to belabor this, but if the primary server (that you download headers from) can't provide the data, does the secondary server do so automatically? If not, is there really any reason to have a secondary server (other than the issue mimauk raised)?

Thanks,
DaDane

[itimpi]

There are 2 reasons you might want a secondary server.

1. The secondary server may have headers that the primary does not. If this is not the case you are downloading twice as many headers as you need. If both servers are from the same supplier then the secondary is more likely to be superfluous.

2. The secondary server may have posts that have been deleted from the primary server. This is more likely to be the case if they are from a different provider and the secondary has longer retention that the primary.

If neither of these apply then there is little benefit.

[Quade]

If not, is there really any reason to have a secondary server (

Some servers don't DMCA as fast as other servers. That's about it.

One of my users uses two servers so he can use both of his internet connections at the same time. He's getting 1.6 Gbps speeds. I have a backup server for testing purposes but I'd probably be fine without it.

[dane]

Thanks Quade and itimpi for filling me in (no pun intended). Seems like I really don't need two servers.

DaDane