---
name: "controlchan"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "inn"
version: "2.7.4-4"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/controlchan"
---

# controlchan(8)

Channel-fed control message handler

## NAME

controlchan - Channel-fed control message handler

## SYNOPSIS

**controlchan** \[**-ch**\]

## DESCRIPTION

**controlchan** removes the responsibility for handling control messages (except cancels) from **innd** and instead processes them from a channel or file feed.

The two Perl modules `"Encode"` and `"MIME::Parser"` are required by **controlchan**.

To reduce load, **controlchan** keeps a copy of *control.ctl* and *control.ctl.local* in memory and checks permissions (including any required PGP headers) before any scripts are called.  These two configuration files are automatically reloaded when **controlchan** notices they have been modified.  Also, the default case of an unrecognized control article is handled internally.  The `"drop"` case is handled with far less fuss.

Normally, **controlchan** is invoked by **innd** as configured in *newsfeeds*. An example entry is below.  Make sure that the newsgroup `"control.cancel"` exists so that **controlchan** does not have to scan through cancels, which it will not be processing anyway.

```
    controlchan!\
        :!*,control,control.*,!control.cancel\
        :AC,Tc,Wnsm\
        :<pathbin in inn.conf>/controlchan
```

**controlchan** can also be manually invoked with a mere path to a file (containing a complete control article with its headers and its body) or a token on its standard input:

```
    echo '/path/to/a/control/article' | controlchan
    echo '@0303465234000000000000235AE000000002@' | controlchan
```

Note that in the (very, very unlikely) event that you need to process ihave/sendme control messages, be sure that *logipaddr* is set to false in *inn.conf*, because in this case **controlchan** needs a site name, not an IP address.

**controlchan** tries to report all log messages through [syslog(3)](/syslog/3.md), unless connected to an interactive terminal.

## OPTIONS

- **-c**

  By default, **controlchan** does not process articles whose Date or Injection-Date header fields are too far in the past (more than *artcutoff* days, as set in *inn.conf*) or one day in the future. It allows preventing a malicious replay of old control articles.

  Using the **-c** flag disables this check on the cutoff date.

- **-h**

  Gives usage information.

## HISTORY

Written by Katsuhiro Kondou \<kondou@nec.co.jp\> for InterNetNews.  Converted to POD by Julien Elie.

## SEE ALSO

[control.ctl(5)](/control.ctl/5.md), [inn.conf(5)](/inn.conf/5.md).