!!Note: See README first instructions on building slrn!!
This file concerns the ``advanced'' installation of slrn.  By ``advanced'',
I mean multiple-user installation.   The installation instructions given in
this file provide information about setting up slrn with defaults that are
global to all users.  These defaults include such information as the name of
the organization and the hostname.  In addition, only one newsgroup
description file is needed instead of one per user.

Basically the idea is to create a directory known as the SLRN_LIB_DIR.  The
default value of this directory is /usr/local/lib/slrn (VMS: sys$manager:).
Simply put the files that you want all users to share in that directory.
Currently only two files are meaningful:

    slrn.rc           :  defaults for all users
    newsgroups.dsc    :  newsgroup description file.

On my system, SLRN_LIB_DIR/slrn.rc file simply contains the two lines:

   hostname space.mit.edu
   organization "Center for Space Research"
   
which will appear in the appropriate headers when a user posts a message.
In addition to specifying these quantities in the slrn.rc file, suitable
defaults may be compiled into the executable.  Simply edit the slrnfeat.h file
for this option.

The rest of this document describes how the SLRN_LIB_DIR may be specified as
well as how the newsgroups.dsc file may be created.

Background:

  When slrn runs it looks for a file that contains the description of all
  the news groups.  This is NOT the newsrc file.  Rather, it is a file that
  contains a one line summary of what each group is about.  This file can be
  quite large if there are many newsgroups.  For example, on my system, the
  newsgroup description file is 225 Kilobytes.  It is not desirable for each
  user to have their own private copy of this file, especially when more
  than one user uses slrn on a given system.  Instead, the system manager
  only has to keep a copy of it in a directory that slrn knows about.  Part
  of the installation process described in this file involves the creation
  of such a directory.

  slrn assumes that newsgroup description file will be called
  `newsgroups.dsc'.  The directory where this file is located must be
  specified by you.  This can be done in one of three ways:
  
      1. By compiling slrn with the directory name hard coded in.
      2. Through the use of the SLRN_LIB_DIR environment variable.
      3. Simply using the default of /usr/local/lib/slrn.

  The third option is the easiest because all you have to do is make sure
  that the directory exists.  If you do not have the proper privileges to
  create such a directory, then you will have to choose one of the other two
  options.

  Now, you have to obtain the newsgroup description file. You can do that in
  at least two ways.  The easiest is to simply get the file `newsgroups.dsc'
  from space.mit.edu:/pub/davis/slrn.  The other method is just as easy but
  involves slrn to create such a file for you.  This is described below.

With this background, the steps presented below should be clear.

  0. Execute the steps outlines in README before continuing.
  
  1. Create the directory `/usr/local/lib/slrn'.  Alternatively, create
     another directory such as $HOME/lib/slrn and put 
      
         setenv SLRN_LIB_DIR $HOME/lib/slrn
	 
     in your .cshrc file.  If you use a different shell, the syntax will be
     different.
  
  2. Run slrn as follows:
  
         slrn -f SLRN_LIB_DIR/newsgroups -d
	 
     (Of course, make the proper substution of SLRN_LIB_DIR).  This will
     create a file newsgroups.dsc in the SLRN_LIB_DIR.
     
     This step may take some time to complete for slow NNTP connections.
     
  3. If more that one person will be reading this file, make sure it is
     world readable, e.g.,
     
         chmod go+r SLRN_LIB_DIR/newsgroups.dsc


That's it!!