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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About News

Q: What are newsgroups?
Q: What are some common news readers and how do I set them up?
Q: What are the news server settings?
Q: What are the current prices and packages for news access?
Q: What news groups do you offer?
Q: What does it mean to "validate my session?"
Q: How do I make my news reader "log in" to the server (NNRP authentication)?
Q: I am with PDQ and when I try to access Internet America news server I get Auth Denied. Why?
Q: I am with NeoSoft and when I try to access Internet America news server I get Auth Denied. Why?



What are newsgroups?

Newsgroups are a place where people can get together to discuss certain topics. It resembles a giant, online bulletin board where people can post messages and other people can reply. Every message and response is available to be read by anyone who can access that particular newsgroup.

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What are some common news readers and how do I set them up?

Here is a list of common news reader programs.
  • Agent
  • Microsoft News
  • Netscape News/Netscape Messenger
  • Outlook Express
  • Xnews
  • YA-NewsWatcher (Mac)
Click here and select your news reader program for setup instructions.

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What are the news server settings?

Server: library.airnews.net
Port: 119

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What are the current prices and packages for news access?

Currently a list of prices for our Airnews newsgroup service can be viewed here.

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What news groups do you offer?

A list of newsgroups currently offer by the Airnews service can be found here.

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What does it mean to "validate my session?"

In order for the Airnews to recognize you has a valid user and set the access level accordingly, it must be able to identify you. Long ago, newsreaders did not support a feature called NNRP, which allows a person to "log in" to a news server with a username and password (similar to email). The only way for the server to recognize you as a user was to go by your IP address. This address uniquely identifies your connection on the internet. You could go to the Airnews web page and log in THERE with your username and password, and the news server would flag your IP address as a valid user.

Nowadays, all popular newsreaders support NNRP authentication. This method is MUCH more reliable. However, Airnews still supports the old "Validate your session" option for backwards compatability.

Another option for authentication works if you have a static IP address. By supplying Airnews with your static IP address, it will permanently recognize your account, and you will not have to use NNRP authentication to connect to the server. HOWEVER, if you are away from your computer or on a system with a different IP address, you can still use your Airnews account if you tell your newsreader to login with a username and password. In fact, you MUST use NNRP authentication if you are on a different IP address from what was supplied to Airnews.

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How do I make my news reader "log in" to the server (NNRP authentication)?

For screen shots of your particular news reader click here and choose your news reader.

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I am with PDQ and when I try to access Internet America news server I get Auth Denied. Why?

PDQ customers are able to access the Internet America newsgroup server. However, the username that you will use will be your username@ia-pdq. For example if your email address is johndoe@pdq.net the username you would use to login the news server would be johndoe@ia-pdq.

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I am with NeoSoft and when I try to access Internet America news server I get Auth Denied. Why?

NeoSoft customers are able to access the Internet America newsgroup server. HOWEVER, your MUST be using a connection through NeoSoft dialup or ISDN to access the news server. You do NOT need to log in to the newserver to access it. If you are on a connection other than NeoSoft (such as cable modem or DSL through another provider), you will NOT be able to access the news server.

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Please email our technical support team if you have any questions.
By Telephone: 1-800-232-4335 Toll-free

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