To add a server, you need to click on the Servers tab to switch to the Servers page.


Click the New Server button to add a new blank server entry and display the server configuration window so that you can fill in the settings for this new server.

Configuration Tab

The first tab on the server configuration window is for entering the information necessary to successfully connect to the new server



First, you will want to replace the default Name "New server" with something a little more informative. This is the name that will appear throughout the rest of the program to help you, the user, identify this server. A good name would be the actual domain name of the server, but it doesn't have to be. You can put any name you want in the Name field.
Second, you will need to fill in the Host address for the new server. This is the domain name for the server. If the server does not have a domain name, then you will need to enter in the IP address of the server.
If your news server uses a non-standard port number, then you will need to input this into the Port field, otherwise leave the default value.
If your news server requires you to log on to use it, then you need to check the checkbox for "Server needs authentication" and then enter in your Username and Password from the information you received from your ISP or other third-party news server provider. If you did not receive any login information, then you probably don't need to log in to use the news server.

Connections Tab



(optional) If you want BNR to automatically make connections to the server as needed for downloading data, then you should check the "Connect-On-Demand" checkbox. If you are concerned about controlling the Internet traffic on your computer, then you can leave this setting turned off, but you will have to manually connect to any servers that do not have this setting turned on to use them.
(optional) You can increase the maximum number of simultaneous connections to this server in an attempt to download files faster by using up to 4 connections to download up to 4 parts of the file simultaneously.
Next, you need to tell BNR when the server is available for use. If you are using an always on connection such as a Cable Modem or DSL, then you should leave it set to the default "Always (using a LAN Internet connection)". If you are using a dial-up ISP, then you can choose "When online (using a Dial-Up connection)" so BNR will only try to access the Internet when the Dial-Up connection is currently online. If you want to control when BNR can access the server, then you can choose "When connected to the selected connection(s)".

Advanced Tab



(optional) You can use the Server access preference value to influence which servers get priority in attempting to download messages. If a message exists on more than one server with different preference values, then the server(s) with the highest value will be used exclusively for downloading those articles. Any articles not available on the highest priority server will be downloaded from the next highest, and so on down the line until all available servers have been tried.
(optional) It is a good idea to check the "Auto-retry connection option every…" checkbox so that BNR will automatically retry whenever a server denies access. This is especially important if you use any busy servers that frequently deny access due to too many people being logged on at the moment.
(optional) If you are using servers with long retention and are viewing groups with a large number of articles, you may want to use the "Download at most ___ newest headers" command to limit the number of messages this server is allowed to retrieve from any group.
The remaining options on this tab and on the Statistics and Commands tabs can be left at their default settings for most servers. The two disconnect settings for idle and no response should be self-explanatory. The extra data in header block setting and everything on the Commands tab are advanced tweaking and troubleshooting settings beyond the scope of this document. The Statistics tab contains settings mainly for tracking the usage of pay servers that limit the amount of data that can be downloaded during a period of time. See the Advanced Users Guide for information on these additional options.