B The Penn State Finger package contains a Finger client and server.F The Finger server process provides several services, including Finger,A an SNTP client (Simple Network Time Protocol), and several of the trivial services. J The whole package is written in VAX MACRO and runs on either VAX or Alpha. D The Finger server is a permanent process, allowing quick response toC network connections. Local Finger provides better performance then
DECUS Finger. D The Finger server is running on ECL.PSU.EDU, feel free to try it (if? you currently lack a client, telnet to port 79 and hit return). = The only optional VMS software required is DECnet and/or UCX. - Multinet with UCX emulation may also be used.
FINGER CLIENT
============= F The Finger client supports DECnet and UCX TCP/IP. It requires a localD server to finger the local node (it is not itself a Finger program). Command is: FINGER username@host A Any qualifiers are passed to the server, they may appear anywhere in the line. ? If @host is omitted, FINGER defaults to 0 (your own host) or to B the value of the FINGER_SERVER logical name. For a memory starvedD workstation cluster, you might want to run the Finger server only onJ one node and define FINGER_SERVER on all satellites to point to this node. C FINGER first tries DECnet (unless the name obviously isn't a DECnet D node name), then it tries TCP. You may suffix the name with .DECNETH to force DECnet only. Use the fully qualified domain name to force TCP. @ DECnet Finger is compatible with the DECUS DECnet Finger object. F Command arguments may be quoted to preserve case, otherwise the entire line is converted to lowercase.
FINGER SERVER
============= @ The Finger server is a single, multi-threaded, detached process.F The server offers fast response because the process is always present.H It has been tested with DECnet, UCX (version 1.3 and 2.0), and Multinet.4 The server requires privileges, the client does not. @ The following services are provided (any may be disabled through conditional assembly). $ o TCP/UDP/DECnet FINGER (RFC 1288); The Finger server is substantially compatible with Rich < Garland's Finger (DECUS Finger). The DECnet server will- directly replace the DECUS Finger object. = All Finger commands are logged to SYS$MANAGER:FINGER.LOG. # o TCP/UDP Echo protocol (RFC 862) & o TCP/UDP Discard protocol (RFC 863) & o TCP/UDP Daytime protocol (RFC 867) & o TCP/UDP CharGen protocol (RFC 864) 5 o TCP/UDP Internet Message Send Protocol (RFC 1159) 2 This is the A protocol. The newer, B protocol2 is not yet supported. It has been tested with2 the ISEND client from Hebrew University (dated April 1991). 7 Messages are broadcast clusterwide to the requested ( username (terminal name is ignored). 9 o SNTP client (Simple Network Time Protocol) (RFC 1361) : Given a suitable (close and reliable) NTP server, this9 client will periodically poll the server and speed up ; or slow down the local system time to match the server. ; All time changes are logged to SYS$MANAGER:SETTIME.LOG. DECUS FINGER DIFFERENCES ========================5 This is a list of things I can think of which differ. / /HELP to the server is the only documentation. 5 This is a munged copy of the DECUS Finger help file. = I haven't given documentation any serious consideration yet. 4 This is a clusterwide finger (/CLUSTER is default). A New mail message headers are never listed (I haven't yet figured A out how to match addresses so it only displays messages from the person doing the Finger). = There is no Finger database. Names are read from the SYSUAF @ owner field. The entire SYSUAF is read at startup, and updated@ as needed for new accounts. There is not presently an easy way$ to disable printing the owner name. ' Added fields for account and nodename. 9 No support for /SYSTEM, /IDLETIME, /TTTYPE, or /SWAPPED. @ /SORT only supports account, CPU time, Login time, and Username (Username is the default). 1 Differs a bit in what an interactive process is. A Only supports one filename for finger plan (default FINGER.PLN). - Also prints a project line (FINGER.PROJECT). B The format of the process listing (which fields can be displayed,E which columns, and how wide the fields are) can be easily configured at assembly time. C No support for Jnet, or TCP other then UCX/Multinet, at this time. < The server will not forward Finger requests. Commands like% Finger @watsun@cunixc are not valid. INSTALLATION ============C Two executables are generated, a Finger client and a Finger server. To install: D 1) Place the files in a (preferably empty) directory, into which you have SET DEFAULT. E 2) If you will be using the Finger server, edit CONFIG.MAR and select D services appropriate for your site. By default, all services areC enabled except SNTP. To disable a service, place a ; before the ( *_ON=1 line (where * is the service). 3) Compile and link: $ @BUILD E This will require about 12 minutes on an Alpha DEC 3000 model 400. $ About 15 minutes on a VAX 11/785. E BUILD will create FINGER.EXE (client) and FINGER-DAE.EXE (server). A Put these in an appropriate place. There is no reason to keep the .OBJ files. H 4) If you will be using the server, update FINGER-DAE.COM for your site." Put it in an appropriate place. D Start the Finger daemon (now, and at system startup) by executing this file (@FINGER-DAE.COM). E The server log files (sys$manager:finger.log and settime.log) will D have new versions automatically created each day. You should setC a version limit on these files. The files are kept open, so you G will need to stop the server to set the version limit. A side note, @ commands are flushed out to disk after no more than a minute. 5) Define a FINGER command: # FINGER:==$device:[directory]FINGER CREDITS ======= B This Finger package may be freely distributed (see copyright.txt).@ Comments/suggestions are welcome. I will attempt to include any? modifications I receive. I plan to make substantial changes to ' Finger in the future (time permitting). Bryan Jensen System Manager Engineering Computer Lab Penn State University bjj@ecl.psu.edu bjj@psuecl.bitnet
