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Also known as: STAT
Asks whether an article exists without transferring it. The server replies with the article number and Message-ID if present, or 430 if not. Because nothing is downloaded, it is the cheap way to test whether a provider still holds a release before starting a large job, and connection-test tools and fill-server logic rely on it.
Browse all terms in Protocol & Server Infrastructure, or see the full Usenet glossary.