Quick Tour of Microsoft NNTP Service Features

Microsoft NNTP Service is easy to manage because of its sophisticated tools and its tight integration with MicrosoftÒ Windows NTÒ Server. The most important features of Microsoft NNTP Service are:

Standards Support

Microsoft NNTP Service supports the Network News Transport Protocol (NNTP), which is used for both client-to-server and server-to-server communications. Microsoft NNTP Service supports popular NNTP extensions and is fully compatible with other NNTP clients and servers.

In addition, Microsoft NNTP Service supports numerous content formats, including:

Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension (MIME)
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)
Graphics Interchange Format (GIF)
Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG)

This support enables users to post pictures and to include Web links in articles.

Easy Administration

Microsoft NNTP Service offers you a choice of two graphical administration tools, either of which enables you to perform all administration tasks. Choose the tool that best meets your needs at the time:

Internet Service Manager Uses Microsoft Management Console (MMC) to manage Microsoft NNTP Service from a computer on the same local area network. This tool can manage all Microsoft® Internet Information Server (IIS) components using a single interface.
Internet Service Manager (HTML) Uses a Web browser, such as Microsoft® Internet Explorer, to manage Microsoft NNTP Service from a computer that is either on the same network or on the Internet. The only requirement for using this tool is a Web browser on the administrator's computer.

In addition, Microsoft NNTP Service can write to the IIS access log to collect usage statistics and track transactions.

Microsoft Windows NT Server Integration

Microsoft NNTP Service takes full advantage of standard Windows NT Server administration tools for performance monitoring and event reporting. When you install Microsoft NNTP Service, the Setup program installs a complete set of performance monitor counters. All Microsoft NNTP Service status and error messages are written to event logs for viewing in Event Viewer. Microsoft NNTP Service also includes support for Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) monitors.

Microsoft NNTP Service manages access to newsgroups using Windows NT Server access control lists (ACLs). By setting the permissions for the directory that contains a newsgroup, you control who has access to that newsgroup. You can also specify anonymous access to allow anyone access to a newsgroup.

Microsoft Internet System Integration

Microsoft NNTP Service supports full-text and property indexing of newsgroup content using Microsoft® Index Server, which is included with IIS.

Advanced Security

Microsoft NNTP Service supports three security options that verify the identity of newsgroup users and protect your organization's private information:

Anonymous access: Allows anyone access to a newsgroup without providing a user name or a password.
Standard NNTP security extension (AUTHINFO USER/PASS): Requires the user to provide a user name and a password, which are sent as clear text across the network.
Windows NT Challenge/Response protocol (AUTHINFO GENERIC): Requires the user to provide a user name and a password, which are encrypted for secure transmission across the network. This protocol, which uses the GENERIC extension to the standard NNTP security protocol, requires the Microsoft® Internet Mail and News client.

To protect the information being sent across a public network, Microsoft NNTP Service supports Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) channel encryption, which includes certificate support to validate the identity of clients and servers.