# The following is an extract from the Unix (tm) rn documentation:
#
#----[with my annotations relating the 'standard' format to that
#---- accepted by VMS NEWS - geoff huston]
#
#    The sys file line has four fields, each separated by colons:
#
#    system-name:subscriptions:flags:transmission command
#
#    Of these fields, only the system-name and subscriptions need
#    to be present.
#
#    The system name is the name of the  system  being  sent  to.
#    The  subscriptions is the list of newsgroups to be transmit-
#    ted to the system.                                 
#
#----[VMS NEWS also allows entries of the form "!subscription"
#     indicating that this is NOT accepted - e.g
#           "...,anu,!anu.students,.."
#     will accept all newsgroups starting with "anu." (as well as 
#     the newsgroup "anu"), but will reject the newsgroup "anu.student"
#---- and any other newsgroups starting with "anu.student."]
#
#                        The flags are a set of letters  describ-
#    ing  how  the article should be transmitted.  The default is
#    B.  Valid flags include A (send in A format), B (send  in  B
#    format),  N  (use  ihave/sendme protocol), U (use uux -c and
#    the name of the stored article in a %s string).
#
#----[RFC 850 does not define these flag values as part of the
#     standard, so I have added the flag 'M' for VMS NEWS.
#     VMS NEWS flags are :
#       B - batch format files
#----   M - 1 file for each newsitem (used for mailing) ]
#
#
#    The transmission command is executed by the shell  with  the
#    article  to  be  transmitted  as  the  standard  input.  The
#    default is uux - -z -r sysname!rnews.  Some examples:
#----[not exactly relevant to VMS!!!
#     the last field is interpreted by VMS news as the file
#     specification of the batch file or mailing file. The ':'
#     that would normally appear in a VMS file spec are replaced
#---- by a '/' instead in this file.]
#
#  xyz:net
#  oldsys:net,mod,to.oldsys:A
#  berksys:net,ucb::/usr/lib/news/sendnews -b berksysrnews
#  arpasys:net,arpa::/usr/lib/news/sendnews -a rnews@arpasys
#  old2:net,mod:A:/usr/lib/sendnews -o old2rnews            
#  user:net.sf-lovers::mail user
#
#    Somewhere in the sys file, there must be a line for the host
#    system.   This  line  has  no flags or commands.  A # as the
#    first character in a line denotes a comment.  A logical line
#    may be continued to the next physical line by putting a \ at
#    end of the line.
#
#----Here is a sample sys file (from my node:)
#---------------------------------------------------------------------
# first entry is for THIS SITE
# and is a list of groups which will be accepted
#             
fac3:world,inet,to.fac3,anu,comp,sci,rec,news,misc,soc,talk,aus,\
canb,alt,junk,control,general:B:NEWS_MANAGER_DEV/[POST_FAC3]NEWS.BATCH
#
csc:world,inet,to.csc1,anu,comp,sci,rec,news,\
misc,soc,talk,aus,canb,alt,local,!anu.students:B:NEWS_MANAGER_DEV/[POST_CSC]NEWS.BATCH
#
fac:world,inet,to.fac0,anu,comp,sci,rec,news,\
misc,soc,talk,aus,canb,alt:B:NEWS_MANAGER_DEV/[POST_FAC]NEWS.BATCH
#
oddjob:world,inet,to.oddjob,anu,comp,sci,rec,news,\
misc,soc,talk,aus,canb,alt:B:NEWS_MANAGER_DEV/[POST_ODDJOB]NEWS.BATCH
#
rsbs0:world,inet,to.rsbs0,anu,comp,sci,rec,news,\
misc,soc,talk,aus,canb,alt:B:NEWS_MANAGER_DEV/[POST_RSBS0]NEWS.BATCH
#
phys0:world,inet,to.phys0,anu,comp,sci,rec,news,\
misc,soc,talk,aus,canb,alt:B:NEWS_MANAGER_DEV/[POST_PHYS0]NEWS.BATCH
#
anucsd:world,inet,dcs,to.ra,to.anucsd,anu,canb,teach,\
comp,sci,rec,news,misc,soc,talk,aus,alt:B:NEWS_MANAGER_DEV/[POST_ANUCSD]NEWS.BATCH
#
postmasters:world,inet,anu.network,\
aus.netstatus:M:NEWS_MANAGER_DEV/[POST_POSTMASTERS]NEWS.POST