---
name: "touch_newsgroup"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "leafnode"
version: "1.12.0-4"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/touch_newsgroup"
---

# touch\_newsgroup(1)

force leafnode to continue reading low-traffic newsgroups

## NAME

touch\_newsgroup - force leafnode to continue reading low-traffic newsgroups

## SYNOPSIS

**touch\_newsgroup \[-f groupsfile\] \[-h hostname\] \[-v\] \[newsgroups\]**

## DESCRIPTION

**touch\_newsgroup** is a Perl script which reads the last article in the specified newsgroups on the specified using NNTP.

This prevents **leafnode** or similar news-servers from marking those newsgroups as inactive because no-one is reading them.

Perl and the Net::NNTP module are required to use this program.  On Debian systems these are avalible in the perl5 and libnet-perl packages.

## OPTIONS

- *-f groupsfile*

  Read newsgroup names from  *groupsfile* in addition to any specified on command line.  Use *-f -* to read from stdin.

- *-h hostname*

  Read newsgroups on host *hostname* (default 127.0.0.1)

- *-v*

  Be verbose.  Prints the number of the article it reads from each newsgroup.

- *newsgroups*

  names of newsgroups to read.  May be omitted if a groupsfile is specified.

## ENVIRONMENT

Requires Net::NNTP module (available in libnet from CPAN or the libnet-perl package).  On Debian systems, this program will by  default be run daily on the list of newsgroups specified in  /etc/news/leafnode/touch\_groups if that file exists.

## LIMITATIONS

Only one news-server is catered for, the IP address of which is hard-wired into the script as $nntp\_host.

## BUGS

dies if it encounters any problems.

## AUTHOR

Copyright 1999 Jim Nicholson \<j.nicholson@computer.org\>

## SEE ALSO

[**leafnode**(8)](/leafnode/8.md)