Public server search

The general idea
   The program scans newsgroups and examines the 'Path:' field in headers. It also can scan websites with lists of newsservers. It extracts server names. Asynchronously it tests the servers to determine whether they are public. Thus there are scan tasks to scan newsgroups/websites for servers and test tasks to check servers found during scans.
   Scan tasks are shown in the task manager find servers pane, and in the docking window rightmost pane.
   There is the public server control panel that can be open by pressing the 'public server search' toolbar button or by doubleclicking the 'public servers' entry in the docking window rightmost pane.

   Don't be mislead by the tree with server names and the 'website' entry under the 'public servers' entry. These are not public servers but source servers, where the search for public servers will be conducted or in another words where scan tasks will be run, just the program 'downloads' server names to test like it downloads headers from a newsgroup. On the screenshot you can see source servers in the tree under 'public servers' root entry to the left; found public newsservers are displayed under the 'public servers' tab in the control panel.
   As to test tasks - they are straightforward, only maximal task number can be changed. Test tasks state and statistsics is shown in the control panel.
   Scan tasks are more complex since there are variety of methods to perform scans.

Control panel
If you open the control panel you can see tab control with the following panes:

groups to find
groups to scan
websites to scan
public servers
matched servers
banned servers

   Public servers found are added to the 'public servers' pane.
   The 'Groups to find' pane contains the names of newsgroups that you are looking for. It contains newsgroup names with the minimal number of articles. Matched servers will be added to the 'matched' pane.
   You can ban some servers, so they won't be added by moving/adding entries to the 'banned' pane.
   There is the 'auto attach' check box - when checked - servers that enter the 'matched' pane will be subscribed automatically.
   By pressing 'cancel scans' button you can stop scans and then 'cancel tests' button - all activity will stop. There are also corresponding entries tasks menu->cancel specific tasks
   'Retry' is used to check all servers that have been checked previously.
   'Reset' removes all checked servers as well as reset check list.
   The websites to scan pane contains the names of websites to scan.
   Finally the groups to scan pane contains specific newsgroups to scan - one usually adds here subscribed newsgroups or newsgroups where public newsservers are most likely to be found.
   You can add several entries at once by pasting/typing them in the edit control. For example you can copy/paste a list of websites or newsgroup list(see below).    Also below you can find more detailed description with examples of use.

Groups to find
   You can add newsgroups to the 'groups to find' pane. All matched servers will be added to the 'matched servers' pane.There is the 'copy' entry added in the context menu of the subscribed newsgroup list in the docking window. Just select desired newsgroups and click it. Then go to the 'Groups to find' pane of the free servers control panel, paste the list of newsgroups. Optionally enter a minimal number of articles and press 'enter' or 'add':

   Then use any method, e.g. press 'start random'. In the 'matched' pane you'll see servers that matched a newsgroup from the 'groups to find' list:

Scan methods
Groups to scan
   You can add newsgroups to the 'groups to scan' pane. For example you can copy/paste newsgroups from the newsgroup list - there is a copy entry in the context menu there.
   Buttons to the right of the 'current pane' work on the current pane. If you have 'groups to scan' as current pane - just press the 'start' button (under 'all entries') to start the scan. You can even select several newsgroups and make scan only for them ('start' under 'selected entries').
   This method has limited application.
Websites to scan
   In the same way you can add a list of websites, there is no difference comparing to the list of newsgroups (but there is a dedicated buttons 'start web' and 'cancel web', you can launch/cancel scans even when the website pane is not the current pane).
   For the start you can copy/paste these websites exactly like the list of newsgroups above, just set the 'websites to scan' pane as current:
newssearch.pilum.net/search.php?type=nlist&query=speed www.newzbot.com/serverlist.php?since=ALL&orderby=groupcount&sortorder=desc&show_maxgroup=on&show_post=on&show_kps=on&show_retention=on¬able=1 www.laughingpoliceman.com/free_news_servers.htm    If you doubleclick website name - the browser will be launched.
Using newsgroup list
   It is far more effective to somehow get newsgroups from newsgroup list than to add them to the 'groups to scan' pane.
   First you should download newsgroup lists for as many servers as possible, otherwise there will be not enough newsgroups to scan.
Newsgroup list - direct method
   You can go to the newsgroup list, select some newsgroups, in the context menu just choose 'find public servers'. NewsPro maintains list what newsgroups were listed on what servers, so you can scan only relevant newsgroups or you can try all selected newsgroups on all servers without regard whether a newsgroup can or can't be found in corresponding newsgroup list for a specific server.

Newsgroup list - random method (most powerful)
   The most comprehensive method that might find some rare news server is 'random'. It is started/cancelled by pressing 'start random'/'cancel random' button in the find servers control window.
   Only relevant newsgroups are taken from the newsgroup list with minimum 400 articles. Naturally it requires to have newsgroup list downloaded for a number of servers. There is a sense to scan the same newsgroup for several servers since the path is different in every case - NewsPro does exactly that.
Reexamining previously gathered public servers
   The program gathers public servers; you may want to recheck them or to change a match criteria and to find out what servers satisfy it.
Example:
   - You enter a new match criteria (i.e. some list of 'groups to find').
   - Then you press the 'matched servers' tab and then press 'delete' under 'all entries' (i.e. delete all) to clear the list.
   - Then you press the 'public servers' tab and press 'start' under 'all entries' ("start all").
   - The list will disappear and the servers will be rechecked.
   - All public servers that are currently active will be back shortly in the 'public servers' pane. Subset of public servers that matches the match criteria will enter the 'matched' pane too.
Public servers pane in the docking window
   There was a pane added to the docking windows that gives general idea what going on (the rightmost pane, see the first image). You can launch or cancel tasks for all or specific servers. Websites/groups to find and random scans in this order is launched (i.e. before starting random scans it will scan 'groups to find' first).
   'Cancel' will cancel all tasks but test tasks. To cancel test tasks you can use tasks->cancel... menu or 'cancel tests' button in the control pane.
   Task menu->cancel...->cancel find server tasks and 'find server' pane in the task manager refers to scan tasks.
Find servers pane in task manager
   The progress of scan tasks can be monitored in the find servers pane in the task manager window. Due to the nature of scan tasks - in the pending tasks pane only server names are shown.