From:	SMTP%"terry@SPCVXB.SPC.EDU" 19-DEC-1993 15:00:14.42
To:	EVERHART
CC:	
Subj:	NNTP client ACCVIO on READ/PAR (+ possible fix)

Message-Id: <9312191611.AA14425@uu7.psi.com>
Date:         Mon, 13 Dec 1993 11:20:33 GMT
Reply-To: "Terry Kennedy, Operations Mgr." <terry@SPCVXB.SPC.EDU>
Sender: ANU-NEWS Discussion <ANU-NEWS@VM1.NoDak.EDU>
Comments:     Warning -- original Sender: tag was news@SPCUNA.SPC.EDU
From: "Terry Kennedy, Operations Mgr." <terry@SPCVXB.SPC.EDU>
Organization: St. Peter's College, US
Subject:      NNTP client ACCVIO on READ/PAR (+ possible fix)
To: Multiple recipients of list ANU-NEWS <ANU-NEWS@VM1.NoDak.EDU>

  I've been plagued with ACCVIO's when doing a READ/PAR on articles when
running as an NNTP client. The actual fault is coming from the line:

  if (cp1[i]) {

  in news_strncasecmp in newsrtl. It is called from get_itm_by_ident in
newsutility, which seems to have a logic error. The line:

    if (s_inum && ((s_inum < first) || (s_inum > last))) continue;

  would seem to want to be:

    if ((s_inum == 0) || (s_inum < first) || (s_inum > last)) continue;

  since if the item number is 0, or falls outside the range of items in the
group, it won't be valid and trying to evaluate the contents of the item
header struct will send us off into never-never land.

  I've made this change locally and it fixed the ACCVIO I observed (both of
the Message-ID's in the References: line didn't exist on my server). I don't
know if this is the correct solution (comments, anyone?) but it seems to
help.

  There is another variant of this problem where ANU News will sit for quit
a while and then come back with a completely unrelated item after a READ/PAR.
I don't know if this change fixes that, but I'll be watching for it.

        Terry Kennedy           Operations Manager, Academic Computing
        terry@spcvxa.bitnet     St. Peter's College, Jersey City, NJ USA
        terry@spcvxa.spc.edu    +1 201 915 9381
