If you were running INN and wanted an eterna.xxx group then you'd be running
   "ctlinnd newgroup eterna.xxx .. ...." and it would get created under
   /var/spool/news/articles/eterna/xxx  and
                   ^^^^^^^^
   /var/spool/news/overview/.... if you had overview stuff.
                   ^^^^^^^^

well, it seems that INN has changed since i last looked.  :-)
   
   Doesn't look like it needs to do anything in /var/spool/news to me.
   Maybe some other news package does?  You should be able to tell us since
   you came up with the idea that something does.


well, the INN i installed about 5 years ago did not have an
`articles' subdirectory, but put things directly into
/var/spool/news (or where ever).


as INN has changed, i withdraw my objections.