USENET NEWS
Product F.A.Q.

Why should I start receiving my News Feed from SkyCache?

To save bandwidth and money. SkyCache saves you up to 5 Megabits per second of terrestrial bandwidth by allowing you to pull your News Feed from a SkyCache satellite dish rather than through existing land lines.

Who does SkyCache peer with?

SkyCache peers with a number of different providers, three of which are in the top 10 as ranked by Freenix. Call or e-mail your SkyCache Sales Representative to obtain more detailed information. Visit http://www.freenix.fr/top1000 and watch SkyCache climb to the top of the ratings.

How many groups does the SkyCache News Feed deliver?

58,000 and growing.

How much data is being delivered by the SkyCache News Feed?

20-30 gigs a day – with plans to increase to 50 gigs a day by the end of this year.

What is the average delivery speed of the SkyCache News Feed?

2-3 Megabits per second – with plans to increase to 5 Megabits per second by the end of this year.

Does SkyCache offer a spam-filtered feed?

Not at this time. However, SkyCache can recommend tools for filtering - visit the following URLs for more information:

http://www.spamhippo.com
http://www.exit109.com/~jeremy/news/antispam.html
http://xpat.com/~jem/cyclone/

Does SkyCache offer a back-up terrestrial feed?

Yes.

What is the delay introduced by the satellite link?

There is a minimal delay, but because article propagation times can range between 500ms and several hours over a terrestrial link (depending on the posting site), any delay introduced by the satellite will be transparent to the end user.

Does SkyCache accept posts?

Yes.

Can I filter out certain groups I’m not interested in receiving?

Yes.

What mechanisms exist for delaying my current news peers?

Contact the upstream provider(s) and request that they delay the newsfeed by 5 minutes.

What news software is SkyCache compatible with?

SkyCache is compatible with all commercial Usenet News software, including Typhoon, Breeze, DNews, MSExchange, MS/INS, Lotus Domino, INN, CNews, Diablo, and others.

Does SkyCache offer a bundled "News Solution"?

Yes. SkyCache, in partnership with bCandid, can package a news feed with a news server pre-loaded with Typhoon software (see hardware specs outlined in next question).

Does SkyCache recommend minimum server requirements?

Yes. SkyCache offers a bundled news solution (outlined above) that includes the following hardware specs:

News Server Specifications: Pentium III 500MHz Rackmount System, includes 300watt power supply and additional CPU cooling fan, (3) 36.4GB Seagate Barracuda Ultra-2 80mb/sec LVDS SCSI drives, (1) 9GB Seagate Barracuda Ultra-2 80mb/sec LVDS SCSI drive for OS running Solaris 7 X86, 512MB 100MHz SDRAM DIMMS.

Does SkyCache currently filter any newsgroups?

Yes. They include:

@alt.2600.warez,@alt.binaries.warez*,@alt.binaries.warze*,\ @alt.binaries.games*,@alt.binaries.kids.games.cd.images,\ @alt.binaries.cd.image.other,@alt.binaries.mac.cd-images,\ @alt.binaries.mac.playstation,@alt.binaries.mac.applications,\ @alt.binaries.cd.image,@alt.fan.patricia\

You can view this deny list as well as the active newsgroup list at ftp.skycache.com/pub/news/

Does SkyCache ever plan to send a FULL feed?

Yes, by the end of October.

What other data can I receive from SkyCache via satellite?

Please visit www.skycache.com/services.html to learn more about SkyCache’s other services, including our patented Cache Turbocharging, Streaming Audio/Video, and FTP/bulk file transfer.

For more information or pricing contact:

United States - Brad Roberge,  301-598-0500 x2442, broberge@skycache.com

Europe & Canada - Peter Cohen, 301-598-0500 x2227, peter@skycache.com

SkyCache and the SkyCache logo are trademarks of SkyCache, Inc.
Contents of this site © 1999 by SkyCache, Inc.
Last Revised: 9/99