perl_access, 502 errors, and gracefully removing permissions

[Julien ÉLIE]

Hi David,

>>    502:  It is necessary to terminate the connection and to start a new
>>          one with the appropriate authority before the command can be used.
>>
>> We do not know whether a command is a given command (like "GROUP") or
>> a whole command with its possible arguments (like "GROUP news.group").
>> I assume it is a whole command line.
>
> Right, it's the whole command line.  "GROUP class.fa09.foobar" returns
> the 502 Read access denied

Yep.  I was commenting the sentence in RFC 3977 and wondered the meaning
of "command" in "before the command can be used".


Without an argument, INN answers 501 (syntax error).



> I don't understand the client behavior either.

As far as I see, it is a bug in the news client.



> The wishlist enhancement
> you mentioned would be nice.  I could even see that simplified to just a
> global toggle between 411 and 480/502.

That would indeed be easy to do.  And probably enough for the needs of
news administrators.

Anyway, in case you compile INN 2.5.2 from source, you will find attached
a straightforward patch that changes 502 to 411 in response to GROUP
and LISTGROUP.
I believe it will solve your problems.  (Yet, I will not commit it because
it is only a work-around for bugs in news clients.)
Implementing the wishlist enhancement, as you say, would be the right way
for INN.

-- 
Julien ÉLIE

« Sum, ergo bibo ; bibo, ergo sum. » 
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