Glossary
Usenet glossary
The terms you meet on this site and in SABnzbd, in plain language. Each one links to the page that goes further.
- Article
- A single post on a Usenet server. Large files are split into thousands of articles, each with its own Message-ID, and your download only completes if your provider can deliver every one of them, or enough PAR2 data to rebuild the ones that are missing. Read more
- Backbone
- The company and server network that actually stores the Usenet articles. Most brands you can buy from rent space on one of about nine backbones, so two brands on the same backbone give you the same files. Read more
- Block account
- A fixed amount of data you pay for up front (for example 500 GB) and use up at your own pace. Blocks are the usual way to add a fill server, because they only get used when your main provider is missing an article. Read more
- Completion
- The share of a post's articles that a provider can still deliver. It drops when articles are removed after a takedown notice, or when they never fully spread across the servers. A second provider on a different backbone raises it. Read more
- Connections
- How many NNTP sessions your plan lets you open at the same time. More connections help you fill a fast line, but 15 to 30 is enough for most home internet, and extra connections do nothing for missing articles. Read more
- DMCA
- The US Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Backbones that follow DMCA rules remove articles soon after a valid notice, often automatically. Highwinds, UsenetExpress and Certida work under DMCA. Read more
- Fill server
- A backup provider that your downloader only asks when your main provider is missing an article. It only helps if it runs on a different backbone from your main provider. Read more
- Indexer
- A search service that catalogues Usenet posts and gives you NZB files. It is separate from your provider: the indexer tells your downloader what to fetch, and the provider delivers it. Read more
- Message-ID
- The unique name of a Usenet article, such as <part31of58.x7Q@ngPost>. NZB files list these IDs, and your downloader asks the provider for each article by its ID. Read more
- NNTP
- Network News Transfer Protocol, the protocol Usenet servers and downloaders use to talk to each other. Providers offer it encrypted over SSL/TLS, usually on port 563. Read more
- NTD (notice-and-takedown)
- The Dutch way of handling takedowns. Backbones under NTD, such as Eweka and Base IP, deal with removal requests one by one instead of automatically, so articles can stay available longer than on a DMCA backbone. Read more
- NZB
- A small XML file that lists the Message-ID of every article in a post. You open it in SABnzbd or NZBGet, which then fetches those articles from your provider. Read more
- PAR2
- Repair files that are posted along with a download. They let your downloader rebuild a limited number of missing or damaged articles, but when more are missing than the PAR2 set can cover, the download fails. Read more
- Primary server
- Your main provider: the one your downloader tries first (priority 0 in SABnzbd). This is usually an unlimited plan on a backbone with long retention, such as Highwinds or Eweka. Read more
- Retention
- How many days of posts a backbone keeps. The deepest backbones keep more than 6,600 days, about 18 years. Retention belongs to the backbone, which is why brands on the same backbone all advertise the same number. Read more
- Server priority
- The order in which SABnzbd or NZBGet asks your servers for an article. Priority 0 goes first. A fill server sits at priority 1 or higher, so it only gets asked for articles the servers above it are missing. Tick Optional on that server and your downloads keep running if it goes down. Read more
- Spool
- The collection of articles a backbone has stored. When two brands share the same spool, they serve identical files, so one cannot fill the gaps in the other. Read more
- Twin
- Our name for two brands on the same backbone, such as Newshosting and UsenetServer. Buy both and you pay twice for one set of files. Read more
- Unlimited plan
- A subscription, paid monthly or up front, with no data cap. It usually has a limit on connections and sometimes a speed cap. This is the normal choice for your main server. Read more
- Web reader
- A website that lets you search and download from Usenet without installing a newsreader. Easynews is built around one, but it still runs on the same backbone as the brands it shares a network with. Read more