The KA9Q TCP/IP package supports a user identification application known as finger. Finger is typically used to find out specific information about users on local or remote hosts. By fingering a user, you can find out such information as a user's name, his mailing address, telephone number, QSL information, and other useful facts. As our network expands, this application will help hams find out information about each other quickly and efficiently.
The finger command under net can be issued in any of the following three ways:
1) finger user 2) finger user@host 3) finger @host
User is the user's name you wish to query and host is the name of the host that the user is at.
The first form of the command is used to find out information about a user at the local host, namely your own system. It is useful for testing finger on a system that you know is running. The second form of the command is used to find out information about a user at a remote host. If you don't know the name of a particular user at a remote host, you can use the third form of the command. This command returns a list of all users currently known on the remote system.
To enable the finger server on your system so that others may query the users on your system, you must type:
start finger
It is suggested that you put this command in your autoexec.net file so that you don't have to manually type it in every time you run net.
1.1. The Finger Information Files
You may be asking, "How does the system know information about a particular user?" In order to provide a certain amount of privacy, finger will only return information that the user provides. Each user maintains a text file of information. The local user's text file is returned to the remote user each time the local user is fingered. If a user does not want to have information about himself sent to other systems trying to finger him, he simply does not
create the file.
All of the finger files are stored in directory \finger. Each user wishing to be recognized by the finger system must create a user.txt file in the finger directory. For example, on KA7AXD's system he has two users; mhorne and thorne. In order for net to recognize these two users, he must create two text files: \finger\mhorne.txt and \finger\thorne.txt .
What you put in the finger information files is completely up to you, but here are some guidelines:
1) You will probably want at least your name, callsign, full address, and telephone number in your finger file so other hams can contact you.
2) You might add information such as your license class, station configuration, and occupation.
3) You may wish to add some information about what projects you are currently working on. This will provide helpful information for others who have similar interests.
4) Remember that the longer your finger file is, the longer it may take to transfer the data to the system fingering you. Long, verbose finger files aren't really necessary.
1.2. Using Finger
To finger a user at a remote user, simply type `finger user@host' as described above. A session will be opened for you and the remote finger information, if any, will be printed in your session. Finger sessions close immediately after the last data arrives from the remote host.
Here is an example finger session as it might occur:
net> finger mhorne@tek.ka7axd.ampr
SYN sent
Established
[tek.ka7axd.ampr]
Hello and welcome to tek.ka7axd.ampr
running the KA9Q TCP/IP code!
User: mhorne (KA7AXD)
Real Name: Michael T. Horne
Class: Extra
Address: Michael T. Horne
19595 SW Martin
Beaverton, OR 97007
Telephone: (509) 591 - 0488
System Config: Tektronix 4315 Workstation running UTek, with NET.EXE under X-Windows MFJ TNC2 KISS TNCYaesu FT-27RB
Occupation: Student at Washington State University and Intern at Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton, OR
Close wait
Last ACK
Closed (Normal)
net>
1.3. Finger Technical Information
Finger uses the well known port number 79 using TCP. When fingering a remote host, a socket is opened to the remote host using port 79. Once established, the client sends the name of the user on the remote host to be queried, or simply a carriage return if system information is desired. (such as a list of known users). The server attempts to find a file in the finger database directory under the name user.txt. If it fails, it returns a short message to the client that no user with that name is known on the remote system, then closes the socket. If it succeeds, the server returns the contents of the user.txt file to the client, then closes the socket. If the form `finger user' is used, a socket connection is attempted at the local host, and program flow follows that described above.
Older net.exe systems can finger remote systems as well, though their system cannot be fingered (no server). To finger a remote system without using the finger client portion of net, type `telnet host 79' to create a telnet
session with the remote host using port 79. Once established, type the name of the user at the remote host to finger, or simply a carriage return if only system information is desired.
