The Server Buffer

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The Server Buffer
=================

   Traditionally, a "server" is a machine or a piece of software that
one connects to, and then requests information from.  Gnus does not
connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
one backend or other.  But that's just putting one layer more between
the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
backend represents a virtual server.

   For instance, the `nntp' backend may be used to connect to several
different actual NNTP servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports on
the same actual NNTP server.  You tell Gnus which backend to use, and
what parameters to set by specifying a "select method".

   These select methods specifications can sometimes become quite
complicated--say, for instance, that you want to read from the NNTP
server `news.funet.fi' on port number `13', which hangs if queried for
NOV headers and has a buggy select.  Ahem.  Anyways, if you had to
specify that for each group that used this server, that would be too
much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming select methods, which is what
you do in the server buffer.

   To enter the server buffer, user the `^'
(`gnus-group-enter-server-mode') command in the group buffer.

Server Buffer Format: You can customize the look of this buffer.
Server Commands: Commands to manipulate servers.
Example Methods: Examples server specifications.
Creating a Virtual Server: An example session.
Servers and Methods: You can use server names as select methods.
Unavailable Servers: Some servers you try to contact may be down. `gnus-server-mode-hook' is run when creating the server buffer.

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