• 7.1 What do I need to know about SSL Encryption?
• 7.11 What if my newsreader does not support SSL natively?
• 7.2 What is a web reader, do I need it?

SSL, in regards to a usenet service, is encryption between two points, you and the usenet provider. Its uses are primarily to avoid throttling, and traffic shaping however it is heavily marketed as a means to "protect your activities from prying eyes". This could be debated as to whether it is really necessary or not, but we will not get into that here.

Today, most newsreaders have been updated to support SSL connection functionality and it is as simple as checking a couple of check boxes to enable SSL.

The main SSL port is 563 (nntps), with other alternative ports depending on provider.

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by swintec

If your newsreader does not support SSL yet, you may be able to use STunnel. Read below for the proper steps (which were originally written for GrabIt). Please note that in this day and age, most newsreaders have SSL capabilities built in. The steps below are meant asa work around for those still using clients that do not, however this method can cause additional CPU load on your system.
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There is a work around allowing SSL encryption download from the newsgroups if you use Grabit as your client which does not have SSL yet. I have tested it and it works.

Below are instructions for installing and configuring Stunnel for Windows. OSX and Linux users should visit »www.stunnel.org/faq for instructions on how to compile and configure Stunnel.

Stunnel setup (Windows)
Download the latest Windows Binaries from »www.stunnel.org/download/binaries.html and install the program.
After installing, go to "Start>Programs>Stunnel>Install Service". You should receive confirmation that the service is installed.
Next, go to "Start>Programs>Stunnel>Edit stunnel.conf" Stunnel.conf is a plaintext file with all of Stunnel's options. Make these changes:

Find the line ";client = yes" and remove the semicolon ; . A semicolon at the start of a line causes it to be ignored, which you want to override. Add the following lines to the bottom of the file:

[nntp]
accept = 119
connect = **news server address here**:563

The service name in [brackets] can be anything. The "accept =" field is the port your Usenet client connects to, generally 119. The "connect =" field is the IP/domain and port of the secure server you are forwarding traffic to.

Save these changes and close stunnel.conf.
Go to "Start>Programs>Stunnel>Service Start" or "Run Stunnel". The program's icon should appear in the taskbar.
News Client Setup
These steps are not particular to any news client and should be simple changes in most clients.

Change the server address in the client settings to "127.0.0.1" or "localhost".
Make sure the client is set to connect to the same port used in the "accept =" field in stunnel.conf. This will almost always be port 119.
Save these changes. Test settings by updating headers or downloading an article. When you hover your mouse over the Stunnel icon, it should display "x session(s) active" where x is the number of connections you have configured in your client.

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by swintec
last modified: 2010-09-12 00:42:57

A web reader is simply a web / browser based means to view newsgroups and there associated content. Typically offered as an add-on service to existing subscriptions. For the casual user, web readers can be great as they allow for access no matter where you are, assuming you have access to a web browser.

Webreaders typically allow for the queuing, downloading, extracting and viewing of usenet material.

Some have even been modified to work on cell phone browsers. Typically allowing users to view photos and video files.

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by swintec