37673 - News Subscribe dialog doesn't work for some news servers which need authentication first for subscribe newsgroups

Status: VERIFIED FIXED

(SeaMonkey :: MailNews: Message Display, defect, P2)

Description

[Henrik Gemal]

I've just created a news account and checked the "use username and password" 
dialog. Now I highlight the newsserver and press subscribe, put are not 
presented with any username/password dialog are no news groups are therefor 
shown in the subscribe dialog.

Comment 1

[(not reading, please use [e-mail] instead)]

accepting.

Comment 2

[(not reading, please use [e-mail] instead)]

this is fixed.

huang, try it on news://chupacabra.mcom.com to verify.

Comment 3

[Henrik Gemal]

This never worked for me. Using build 2000051008 to connect to a Netscape 
Collabra Server 3.54 protected with username and password.
I'm just presented with the Subscribe dialog.

I checked the "username and password" checkbox when creating the account.

Comment 4

[Karen Huang]

Can you try on today's noon build?
I did see the "username and password" dialog displayed, but the newsgroups list 
didn't display from the subscribe dialog yet.

Comment 5

[(not reading, please use [e-mail] instead)]

I haven't tried specifying the username / password at account creation time.

that would affect the uri, I'll try that.

when you create the account, don't specify the username / password, and see if
subscribe works for you.

(You'll get prompted for it.)

Comment 6

[Karen Huang]

1) I did see the newsgroups display on our internal news server instaed of 
typhoon news server
2) By selecting always use user name/password, it is also working on internal 
news server (poisonivy.mcom.com)

Comment 7

[Karen Huang]

Which platform are you using?

Comment 8

[selmer (gone)]

Mass moving M16 to M17 - look for nsbeta2 before anything else.

Comment 9

[(not reading, please use [e-mail] instead)]

these are all subscribe bugs.   accepting.

Comment 10

[Henrik Gemal]

This actually works if I use mozilla.exe -installer and have all the newsgroups 
imported. But if I create a new News account with the same server and try to do 
a subscribe I'm never presented with the username/password dialog.

Comment 11

[Henrik Gemal]

If I do a NNTP log this is what I'm getting:
0[346240]: Next state: NNTP_RESPONSE
0[346240]: Receiving: 200 venus. Netscape-Collabra/3.54 24102 NNRP ready 
(posting ok).
0[346240]: received 64 bytes
0[346240]: Next state: SEND_FIRST_NNTP_COMMAND
0[346240]: Sending: LIST
0[346240]: Next state: NNTP_RESPONSE
0[346240]: Receiving: 480 Authentication required for command
0[346240]: received 39 bytes
0[346240]: Next state: NNTP_BEGIN_AUTHORIZE
0[346240]: ask for the news username
0[346240]: Next state: NNTP_ERROR
0[346240]: Next state: NEWS_FREE
0[346240]: Sending: QUIT
0[346240]: Next state: NEWS_FINISHED
0[346240]: Sending: QUIT


Still no username/password dialog.

Comment 12

[(not reading, please use [e-mail] instead)]

ok, now the dialog will pop up.  (so you can use subscribe for imap & news if 
you haven't logged in yet.)

two new bugs:


1)  no error on failure to login.  (see bug #41062)
2)  for news, checking the "remember value" checkbox in the password dialog
will cause it to fail to log in.  (see bug #41063)  the work around, is to not 
remember your username or password.

since the password dialog does come up, I'm going to mark this fixed.

now, to fix those other bugs.

Comment 13

[Henrik Gemal]

This is not working for me in Build 2000060120!

I'm never presented with a username/password dialog. I've tried both creating 
brand new profiles with check and no check in the "require username" box, and 
it's still not working.

NNTP log:
0[344110]: Next state: NNTP_RESPONSE
0[344110]: Receiving: 200 venus. Netscape-Collabra/3.54 24102 NNRP ready 
(posting ok).
0[344110]: received 64 bytes
0[344110]: Next state: SEND_FIRST_NNTP_COMMAND
0[344110]: Sending: LIST
0[344110]: Next state: NNTP_RESPONSE
0[344110]: Receiving: 480 Authentication required for command
0[344110]: received 39 bytes
0[344110]: Next state: NNTP_BEGIN_AUTHORIZE
0[344110]: ask for the news username
0[344110]: Next state: NNTP_ERROR
0[344110]: Next state: NEWS_FREE
0[344110]: Sending: QUIT 

Comment 14

[Michael La Guardia]

Karen, can we get a retest?

Comment 15

[leger]

Putting on [nsbeta2+][w/b minus on 6/22] radar.

Comment 16

[Karen Huang]

By using today's build, I retest from the new profile, it will crash at the 
first time, after the second time, it will display the login dialog with no 
check in the "require username" box. I will try on check "require username" box 
again.

Comment 17

[Karen Huang]

Wait! Henrik, we have the "always use user name/password" from 4.7 and can 
migrate to 6.0. But by using Netscape 6.0 new profile, I am not able to find 
"always use user name/password" from the Account Manager for News, where you 
check this from? 

Comment 18

[(not reading, please use [e-mail] instead)]

when this bug was logged, we had a "always user username" checkbox in the
account wizard.

since we currently don't support that feature (called push auth) I took it out
of the account wizard.

see bug #35832 #39862

it doesn't matter, checking or unchecking that check box never did anything
anyways, which is why I removed it.

I'll investigate the crashing...that is bad.

Comment 19

[Karen Huang]

This bug originally described that the subscribe dialog didn't display when the 
news server with password protected, and then this bug turn to the login dialog 
didn't display...and then invloved check or uncheck "always user username"....I 
am thinking it's better to narrow down this problem will help developer to find 
the real problem....I did check the subscribe dialog mostly display, but the 
login dialog didn't display sometimes even I select get message, until I select 
the posted news messages headers from the thread...the login dialog will pop up 
again.....

Comment 20

[Karen Huang]

I mean: until I select the posted news messages headers from the thread pane, 
the login dialog will pop up again.....

Comment 21

[Henrik Gemal]

These are my steps to reproduce the bug against my Netscape-Collabra/3.54 NNTP 
newsserver.
- Create a new news account
- rightclick on the news account and select Subscribe
- press Refresh

here I should be presented with the Login/password name but nothing. I never see 
any newsgroups or anything.

Attached is the NNTP log

Comment 22

[Henrik Gemal]

Attachment: NNTP news log

Comment 23

[Jean-Marc Desperrier]

I'm having the same problem with M16.
I'll comment on the description of the problem by Henrik.
When you create a new account, the list of newsgroups is initially empty.
There is no way to use this account until you press Refresh to get the list.

My newsserver is in fact the Hamster program I run locally :
Here is the log of what happens on the server when clicking Refresh.
2000/06/16 15:21:33 {9b} Client 127.0.0.1:119 (404) connected
2000/06/16 15:21:33 {c6} < 200 Hamster-NNTP Vr. 1.3 (Build 1.3.18.0) ready -
authentication required
2000/06/16 15:21:33 {c6} > LIST
2000/06/16 15:21:33 {c6} < 480 Authentication required
2000/06/16 15:21:33 {c6} > QUIT
2000/06/16 15:21:33 {c6} < 205 Closing connection.
2000/06/16 15:21:33 {c6} Client 127.0.0.1:119 (404) disconnected

Therefore the bug seems to be that :
"Getting error code 480 when issuing the LIST command, does not start the
display of the subscribe dialog".
I hope this will help localising the problem.

PS: I suggest you include "news" in the summary, I almost entered this bug as a
duplicate, because I didn't find it with "news" and "subscribe".

Comment 24

[Jean-Marc Desperrier]

My workaround at the moment for servers that needs a user/pasword identification
is to run M15 to subscribe to the newsgroup and inherit the subscription the
next time I run M16.
That's the only way I found to get subscribed in M16.

Comment 25

[Karen Huang]

Adding News on the summary.

Based on Henrik's 06-13 steps, I think that I am more clear now....
The way that I cannot reproduced was because I was testing for our inhouse news 
server with some specific password protected newsgroups, but what Henrik had is 
the news server totally with password protected....do we still have that kind of 
the news server in house? And Seth, is this bug should be tested specific 
password protected news server? (same as we had before -- typhoon news server?)

From the news server we had in house, I can reproduce that the newsgroups didn't 
display completely from the subscribe dialog, but I cannot reproduce the login 
dialog didn't display scenario.....

Comment 26

[Karen Huang]

In order to define the original problem is for some specific protected password 
news server problem OR the news server with checked "always use username & 
password" problem. 
Can Henrik try to use the same news server from 4.7 and UNCHECKED "always use 
username & password" from 4.7 newsgroup servers preference, see whether the 
"login dialog" is still displaying or not when you follow the 06-13 steps?

Comment 27

[Henrik Gemal]

My Netscape 4.73 newsgroup setting is "only ask when nessesary". Do you need any 
server setting from my Collabra server? I'm admin on it.

Comment 28

[Karen Huang]

Yes. Leave it the way it is: "only ask when nessesary".

Comment 29

[Henrik Gemal]

If I then migrate I'm correctly presented with my the newsserver and presented 
with first a username and then a password dialog when I open the newsserver 
(click the twisty).
If I then select a newsgroup I'm again presented with the username and password 
dialog. If I the again select a posting within the newsgroup I'm again 
presented with the username and password dialog.

Hope this helped in finding the problem...

Comment 30

[Jim Roskind]

Cleaned up status whiteboard making beta2 minus (6/22 has passed)

The dialog suggests that this is actually working in many cases, so this may 
indeed be a good candidate for a beta3 fix.

Comment 31

[(not reading, please use [e-mail] instead)]

I'm seeing this on linux.

it seems to work fine on win32.  I think it has to do with parenting the
password dialog on the hidden window, instead of the subscribe dialog.

(the modality of the subscribe dialog may also be related.)

investigating...

Comment 32

[(not reading, please use [e-mail] instead)]

asking for nsbeta2 re-eval because this keeps biting me with my
news.supernews.com account.

Comment 33

[leger]

Putting on [nsbeta2-] radar. Not critical to beta2.  Adding "nsbeta3" keyword 
for a fix for that milestone. We just would not hold beta2 for this.  Sorry.

Comment 34

[(not reading, please use [e-mail] instead)]

the patch attached to bug #42998 includes the fix for this bug.

Comment 35

[Marcus Fellinger]

For build 2000070508, this is still not working. I downloaded the talkback
nightly build for today, and created a new news account with news.compuserve.com
as the news server. news.compuserve.com is a password protected news server.
However, opening the subscribe dialog and clicking refresh only shows the
activity indicator for 2 seconds. I never get asked for my username and/or
password, and I never get any newsgroups from the server.

Comment 36

[Karen Huang]

Ccing bienvenu & mscott -- who may take this bug when Seth is out of office...

Comment 37

[Karen Huang]

This problem is still occurring on today's 07-27-05-M17 commercial build
Originally, I cannot reproduce this problem for in house news server.
But, I did tried on external news.supernews.com news server.
This problem is not only occurring on Linux, it's also occurring on Windows
platform. It's not only occurring on new profile, it's also occurring on
migrated profile. I think that we need to release note this for beta2 since
problem is occurring on some specific news server..... adding renote2 on the
keywords. And I recommend PDT: this will be a nsbeta3+ bug.
too

Comment 38

[Karen Huang]

Updating the summary a little bit to specify problem is occurring for some news
servers which need authentication first for subscribe newsgroups.

Comment 39

[selmer (gone)]

Adding mail4 triage nomination keyword.

Comment 40

[lchiang]

Karen - is there any way to subscribe to newsgroups on these particular news 
servers?

Comment 41

[Karen Huang]

Typhoon server is not available in house anymore.
I actually do not have the permission to access these kinds of news servers.
But at least I verify on news.supernews.com that the "username and password" 
dialog never get displayed on 6.0 (it displayed on 4.x)....I don't know whether 
Seth has permission (I need to check with him after he comes back), but for sure 
there is problem for this kind of news server and there is no other way to 
subscribe to newsgroups on these particular news servers.

Comment 42

[Henrik Gemal]

My newsserver is inhouse only, but I'm still unable to subscribe since the 
username/password dialog never appears.

The setting my Netscape Collabra server is the:
"[x] Require authentication on first connect"

Comment 43

[Karen Huang]

Henrik, can  you tell me this news server information? Can I access the news 
server which you described above? And where you check "[x] Require authentication 
on first connect" from?

Comment 44

[Henrik Gemal]

As I said, my newsserver is behind a firewall so no go for you to access it.
The "[x] Require authentication on first connect" is at the Access Control tab 
under you newsserver.
I'll attach a screenshot...

Comment 45

[Henrik Gemal]

Attachment: Screenshot of Collabra setting...

Comment 46

[Karen Huang]

We probably need to upgrade our news server since I couldn't find the option on 
our Collabra 3.5 news server, but thanks for the info, Henrik.

Comment 47

[Karen Huang]

Oh! I find the option from our news server now.
Yes. I can also reproduce this problem by check the option from the news servre.
As I said that the "username and password" dialog never get displayed on 6.0 (it 
displayed on 4.x), so client should handle this issue when news server with 
different setup!!

Comment 48

[Karen Huang]

provided info already. clear whiteboard.

Comment 49

[lchiang]

+ per mail triage, P2.

Comment 50

[Jean-Marc Desperrier]

I'm quite annoyed this is still not solved.

Another way to trigger the problem is to use the program Hamster
(http://home.t-online.de/home/juergen.haible/english.htm) that works as a kind
of proxy to centralize access to different news servers and requires
identification of the users before retrieving the newsgroups list.

By the way, if someone here is looking for a workaround this problem, there is
the solution of using M15 to subscribe as I described the 2000-06-16 08:37.

Comment 51

[lchiang]

[e-mail] - just a fyi - the owner of this bug is on a
long vacation.  Also, this bug has been "nsbeta2+" with a P2 priority which
means we hope to get to this for nsbeta3 soon.  Thanks.

Comment 52

[Jean-Marc Desperrier]

Maybe the word I used was a bit strong.
I found another workaround that makes that problem quite less annoying :-)
It's to use the news://server/group url to subscribe to the group.

Comment 53

[Henrik Gemal]

Somehow this seems to be working for me now....!
I'm now asked for username and password
Build 2000082708 on Win2000pro

Comment 54

[lchiang]

mark WFM now.  Karen, pls verify.

Comment 55

[Henrik Gemal]

Hmmm not 100% working.
This is what seems to be happening:
1) I add a news server that requires username/password
2) I start the subscribe dialog
3) I'm prompted to enter username
4) I'm prompted to enter password
5) I'm getting the Done but no newsgroups
6) I press the Refresh button and the newsgroups appear!

Comment 56

[Karen Huang]

By using 08-31-09-M18 commercial build:
I tried on our internal news server (poisonivy) with the "[x] Require 
authentication on first connect" setup, the username/password dialog did 
display, but after I tried to subscribed newsgroups, I got crash -- I will try 
on today's build again....

Comment 57

[(not reading, please use [e-mail] instead)]

I see the crash on poisonivy, too.  it's a different problem.  I've got a stack
trace for it, and I see how to fix it.  that bug is logged as bug #51076

also accepting this bug.

Comment 58

[(not reading, please use [e-mail] instead)]

adding dependency on #51076, since karen and I can't reproduce this bug until
that crasher is fixed.

I just checked in the fix for that crasher, and now I see the exact behavior
that gemal reported on 2000-09-01 00:32

I'm off to work on that now.

Comment 59

[(not reading, please use [e-mail] instead)]

updating status whiteboard, so it doesn't get cut.

Comment 60

[(not reading, please use [e-mail] instead)]

fix in hand.  r=mscott.  checking in soon.

Comment 61

[(not reading, please use [e-mail] instead)]

fixed.  

karen, here's how I tested it:
create a new profile
add a new account (news on poisonivy.mcom.com)
select the poisonivy.mcom.com in the folder pane
select the "File | Subscribe..." menu item
you'll get the username / password dialogs
after entering in the correct username / password, the subscribe dialog should
populate

gemal, can you check against your news server?

Comment 62

[Karen Huang]

By using today's WinNT 09-05-08-M18 commercial build
The username/password dialog display, and there is no crash any more.
But it seems that all the newsgroups won't populate until I click the "Refresh" 
button. Henrik, do you see the same result for today's build?

Comment 63

[Karen Huang]

It seems that all the newsgroups populate well in the subscribe dialog now in 
our internal news sevrer:
Verify on Linux 09-06-08-M18 commercial build
WinNT 09-06-08-M18 commercial build
Mac 09-06-04-M18 commercial build
Henrik, please check this problem as well on your news server, reopen this bug 
if problem is still existing on your news sevrer. Marking as verifiied!! 

Comment 64

[Henrik Gemal]

Build 2000090608 on Win2000 is working for me too!