Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Fill servers

Version 3.9 of BinTube Usenet Reader introduced the option to add fill servers. So what is a "fill server"?

A fill server is a Usenet server provided by any other Usenet provider that is used as a backup to your primary servers. Whenever an article can not be found on BinTube's servers (your primary), BinTube Usenet Reader checks if it can be found on the first fill server, then the second etc... then downloads it from wherever it can be found.

Since fill servers are only used as backup, most users prefer to get "block" accounts. A block account provides you with a certain amount usage (usually 100 GB to 1000 GB) and does not need to be paid for until you completely use up the allotted amount of data. A 1000 GB account is usually the most cost effective and should last you a very long time.

To add a fill server to BinTube Usenet Reader go to Options > Server Settings then click the Add button just below the Usenet Servers label. The usual information, such as username, password, server address, connections and SSL, must now be entered.

Fill servers can be enabled and disabled using the check mark in the Usenet Servers list. A disabled fill server will not be used to check for or download any missing articles from. So if you want to use a fill server, make sure the check mark right next to it is set!

Notes:
  • Fill servers are only available in the FREE version of BinTube Usenet Reader which requires a BinTube Usenet subscription.
  • Since your BinTube account is unlimited the BinTube server cannot be disabled. This is a safety precaution so that you don't unknowingly use up your block account.
  • Changing connections and ports on all servers (including BinTube servers) can done by double clicking the respective server or by selecting it and clicking the edit button.
  • The usage counters displayed next to each server can be reset by right clicking the server and selecting "Reset download counter"