Active File Format
..................

   The active file lists all groups that are available on the server in
question.  It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
in each group.

   Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:

     soc.motss 296030 293865 y
     alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
     comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
     comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
     no.general 1000 900 y

   Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:

     active      = *group-line
     group-line  = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
     group       = <non-white-space string>
     space       = " "
     high-number = <non-negative integer>
     low-number  = <positive integer>
     flag        = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group