The news server I use has been down for two days already. That sucks.

So I thought that maybe I could run my own server. I am going to be the only user and I just need two groups, no binaries. I think my humble server can handle that load.

But how?

Not only because Google is somehow adamant to point me to instructions on how to set up an NTP server, which is not what I want, the information I need seems to be scant and elusive. I've found how to set up and install the server, but how in the world is it going to talk to the groups for posting and subscribing? I can't find that anywhere.

Any pointers, please?

Okay, between the thread title and the content of your post you have totally confused me.
You want instructions to set up an NNTP server but are upset that google sends you to instructions on how to set up an NNTP server?

Perhaps you should make clear exactly what you are really looking for!

Everything I find is about how to make it run, how to create groups and how to serve them. Nothing about how to obtain the feed of external groups (e.g. comp.lang.*) and how to submit posts to them.

I suspect that the OP has not had opportunity to realize that nntp transports messages either between *news-servers* or one news-server and a client software.

A news server must be in contact with at least 1 other such server (the upstream server) to do work and that is probably the short answer to the original question. Configure a reliable news-server as the upstream server to yours.

This is not about a local/private news-server, in view of the 2 groups which are consulted by 1 person. I suggest to just fetch your messages from any available – free or payed – news-server and forget about running your own.

Which client do you use?

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I already do that, and that server has been down for three days. Who knows when it is coming back?

I suppose I can use another, but a new server is going to mess up my local copies, some of which have been "bookmarked" in Claws Mail. And what if the new one goes down too? I have to reconfigure everything again. My own server will never go out.

"at least 1" in standard English means that it can connect to multiple servers which would result in redundancy. But the whole redundancy would end up in my own server and my reader would only see that one server and would never get messy. Are my assumptions correct?

That is one thing a message-id can do. It does.
FYI, I run a local version of leafnode (most people interested in News, here, will know it) and fetched from four servers. In the meantime I have noticed that two of those redundant servers are already included with my default upstream which is open-news-network.org.

If you want 1 reliable setting, take that. You have to register for their service and get a password. But then.., why run your own server?

When I use Pan as client, there is nothing between me and the current server in the open-news network. I used leafnode with slrn, where you do not have much of a choice, but I bet that Claws-mail does not need a locally configured news-server.

Addition: 2 groups for 1 person. Everything which looks complicated in this scenario, is an error.

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To set up an NNTP (Network News Transfer Protocol) server, follow these steps:

Choose an NNTP server software: Some popular options include INN (InterNetNews), DNEWS, and XRN.

Install the software: Install the NNTP server software on a machine running a Unix-like operating system or Windows.

Configure the server: Configure the server by setting up parameters such as server name, newsgroups, access controls, and storage location.

Configure network settings: Set up the server's network settings, such as the IP address and port number, to allow incoming connections.

Create newsgroups: Create the newsgroups that you want to use on the server.

Test the server: Test the server by connecting to it using a news client, such as Thunderbird or Microsoft Outlook, and subscribing to a newsgroup.

Start the server: Start the NNTP server and make sure it is running and accessible to clients.

Note: Setting up an NNTP server requires technical knowledge of networking and server administration. If you're not familiar with these concepts, it's recommended to seek help from a qualified administrator.

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I don't want to create newsgroups. I want to obtain the content of existing groups (only two) and serve them on my own server to a limited number of subscribers (i.e. just me).

I want to obtain the content from multiple sources so if any one of them is down, the service is not interrupted.

Then all you need is a client that can handle multiple connections (Perhaps one at a time) and eliminate or avoid duplication.

slrn can handle several newsservers at once and tries to fetch whatever it can from the first (standard) server. All subsequently configured servers will provide missing articles, be it from groups which are not held by the default server, be it for other reasons. You can configure individually, what a server provides and if it is used specifically for posting or only for fetching.

Other programs do this in whichever way suited the developer.

In any case, a Message-ID being present, there should not be duplicate messages. They would anyway only be displayed in the reader and be incarnations of 1 and the same message. I cannot imagine a newsreader which would not avoid this situation.

NNTP and the servers have nothing to do with that.

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I cannot know from where you copied that sentence.
Setting up leafnode requires less technical knowledge than other software. We talk about a simplistic system and should not make it more complicated than it is, just because few remember. You will not become a genius by reading those docs.
Administration is almost or quite simply unnecessary. The task that you accomplish by setting a configuration option is your own to choose.

“If you are not familiar with these ... ” which? “... concepts”, go ahead an try.

The technical knowledge – you have it, else we weren't aware of your existence. Ω

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