How to test an NNTP (news) server by using telnet

What you need

• The host name of the news server (for use in the telnet command)
• The name of the newsgroup for which you want to test (for use in the GROUP command)
• An article (to send after receiving a positive response to the POST command)

What to do

Please post test messages only in test groups.

The initial telnet: > symbolises your shell prompt.

The empty line between the headers and the body is important, as is the line containing only a full stop at the end of the article body.

telnet: > telnet news.example.com nntp
telnet: Trying 192.0.2.2...
telnet: Connected to news.example.com.
telnet: Escape character is '^]'.
server: 200 news.example.com DNEWS Version 5.5d1, S0, posting OK
client: POST
server: 340 Ok, recommended ID <400da85b@news.example.com>
client: From: sender@example.com
client: Newsgroups: misc.test
client: Subject: Test article
client: Message-ID: <400da85b@news.example.com>
client: 
client: This is a test.
client: .
server: 240 article posted ok
client: GROUP misc.test
server: 211 24 269620 269643 misc.test selected
client: ARTICLE 269643
server: 220 269643 <400da85b@news.example.com> article retrieved - head and body follows
server: From: sender@example.com
server: Newsgroups: misc.test
server: Subject: Test article
server: Message-ID: <400da85b@news.example.com>
server: NNTP-Posting-Host: client.example.com
server: Date: 21 Jan 2004 00:16:08 +0200
server: X-Trace: news.example.com 1074636968 client.example.com (21 Jan 2004 00:16:08 +0200)
server: Lines: 2
server: Path: news.example.com
server: Xref: news.example.com misc.test:269643
server: 
server: This is a test.
server: .
client: quit
server: 205 closing connection - goodbye!

More information

Answers to frequently asked questions relating to this article are available.