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NNTP Full Form

NNTP Full Form

Edited By Team Careers360 | Updated on Jan 31, 2023 11:05 AM IST

What is the full form of NNTP?

NNTP stands for Network News Transfer Protocol. NNTP is similar to SMTP because it enables communication between servers and clients. However, news items are used in this instance to exchange information. The Internet's forerunner network, ARPANET, was where this capability was first introduced. Using this protocol, network bulletins were transmitted. There are now tens of thousands of newsgroups dedicated to discussing any subject under the sun. Usenet now consists of a sizable network of news servers that host newsgroups. Newsgroups are different from other forums like Web discussion boards and Internet mailing lists, where all messages posted there are delivered to your inbox if you're a member (which are accessed through the browser).

History of NNTP

Initially, Usenet used the Unix to Unix Copy Protocol (UUCP). In this protocol, readers and posters registered into the servers to access articles straight from the local disc after copying all news to the servers' local discs. With the rise in Internet usage, it was essential to making Usenet available for personal computers. Therefore, NNTP was created using the same principles as Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). Several people created it, including Brain Kantor, Phil Lapsley, and Sant. O. Barber, and Erik Fair. The Network News Transfer Protocol, or RFC 977, was created in March 1986 by Brain Kantor and Phil Lapsley.

Working of NNTP

NNTP is a server/server protocol and a client/server protocol. It provides some straightforward text commands that

  • Give NNTP clients the ability to connect to an NNTP service or daemon operating on an NNTP server using TCP port 119 to get a list of newsgroups, examine the contents of a newsgroup, or publish a new message to a newsgroup. Microsoft Outlook Express and Microsoft Internet Mail and News are examples of such programmes.

  • Enables the replication of newsgroups and their content by allowing NNTP servers to connect via the Internet. Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5, which manages the Microsoft Exchange Internet News Service, and Internet Information Server (IIS) 4, which manages the NNTP Service, are two examples of NNTP servers. The foundation of the global news network known as Usenet is this replication procedure between NNTP servers (or hosts, as they are referred to).

Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is used for NNTP connections between clients and servers and between servers for dependable, guaranteed packet delivery. Before their NNTP commands are acknowledged, clients establishing connections to servers may need to be authenticated.

Characteristics of NNTP

Some of the characteristics are mentioned below:-

  • Connect a variety of newsgroups to the internet.

  • Its servers add the server to your IAP and oversee the vast network of newsgroups.

  • Remote Usenet access through a client system

Advantages of NNTP

Some of the advantages are mentioned below:-

  • Simple command names include ARTICLE, IHAVE, LIST, etc.

  • Users can quickly get any news.

  • It doesn’t need a centralised server

  • Client-server and server-server communication are also supported.

NNTP Network Address Translation Features

NNTP is compatible with network address translation systems and does not need embedded IP addresses. However, NNTP servers can use the connection's source IP address and port as an authentication method. Additionally, news stories will include hostname information, which could be a name supplied by the client submitting the story, a name derived by resolving the source IP address, or both. Information that you want to keep private might be revealed by doing this. Additionally, using network address translation while using NNTP may lead the NNTP server to believe that you are lying about your host information (since the names provided by the client and the names discovered through resolving the source IP address don't match).

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Frequently Asked Question (FAQs)

1. Does NNTP provide security?

The TCP protocol is directly used by the NNTP to contact the application layer, which has the benefit of ensuring safe and dependable data transport.

2. NNTP: UDP or TCP?

A TCP-based service is NNTP. Port 119 is used by NNTP servers. Ports higher than 1023 are used by NNTP clients, such as servers sending news to other servers.

3. Is Usenet a free service?

Unfortunately, there are fewer possibilities for access that are free. Except for Google Groups, all Usenet companies do charge an admission fee.

4. What purposes serve the NNTP protocol?

News is transferred between networks using the Network News Transfer Protocol.

5. The Network News Transport Protocol uses which port?

For NNTP, the well-known TCP port 119 is set aside.

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