fingerconf(5) UNIX Reference Manual fingerconf(5)NAMEfingerconf - configuration file for pfinger
DESCRIPTION
1. Format
The fingerconf file is a simple XML-like file. This means every option
has the form <option>value</option>.
2. Most important options
<siteinfo> Contains a text that is displayed for a
"finger .site@sample.org"
<specialfile> Special "dot"-Files in the users home
directory that can be retrieved with finger
(e.g. finger user.pgpkey@sample.org
returns the file ~user/.pgpkey, if pgpkey
is defined as special file)
<option> enables an option:
showidle: Display the idle-time of the users
showfrom: Display from where a user is connected
hidemail: Hide the user mail information
<dbpath> see section 3.3
<sitehost> see section 3.5
<clientlist> ""
<client> ""
<poll> ""
<sitemaster> same as <sitehost> (backwards compatibilty)
3. /usr/share/finger/statusdb
PFinger uses a database to store the users that are logged in on a
remote host. Its default path is /usr/share/finger/. However if you are
using GNU Finger compatibility mode (see below) the default is
/usr/local/etc/fingerdir/. The default path can be overridden in the
configfile with the directive <dbpath>/path/to/dbdir/</dbpath>.
The file must be writeable by the Site Finger Deamon (see below) and
readable by the finger deamon.
If you are not using PFinger as a Site deamon the statusdb file is not
entirely necessary but the deamon will complain about it in the syslog.
4. GNU Finger compatibility
Enable GNU Finger compatibility mode by starting in.fingerd with the
"-g" option. (Set this in the inetd.conf). Further explanation of this
mode can be found in the README.
5. Site Finger Deamon
PFinger provides a site finger deamon, which allows you to provide fin‐
ger information for a whole cluster at a single host. We call the hosts
of the cluster "clients" and the Server were the fingerd programs runs
"master".
Example Scenario:
We have several Computers in a laboratory. All computers have the same
configuration (e.g. the same logins). None of them is assigned to a
single person. This means it is not predictable which host someone will
use, which makes the finger service somewhat unusable. Now we are able
to install the PFinger in.fingerd on all hosts and the PFinger fingerd
on a Server. Now everyone can query the Server and gets the same infor‐
mation as if he or she were querying all hosts of the cluster.
Installation:
On every client you need to install the "in.fingerd" program as shown
above. Also you need on every host a simple configuration file pointing
to the master:
Example /etc/fingerconf:
<fingerconf>
<sitehost>master_hostname</sitehost>
</fingerconf>
On the master you need to run the "fingerd" program. This program auto‐
matically gathers the online information from the clients all 30 sec‐
onds (configurable). The users need not to be able to log into the
master. They must however be known (via /etc/passwd, yp/NIS or simi‐
lar).
In the /etc/fingerconf file you need to specify
- for every client:
<client>client_hostname</client>
in the <clientlist> directive
- for another interval than 30 seconds:
<poll>seconds</poll>
Exapmle server /etc/fingerconf:
(Poll clients (lab1 and lab2) all 150 seconds)
<fingerconf>
<poll>150</poll>
<clientlist>
<client>lab1</client>
<client>lab2</client>
</clientlist>
</fingerconf>
EXAMPLE SYSTEM FINGERCONF
<!-- Sample Finger configuration file for the server -->
<!-- this file is read by the finger deamon at startup time -->
<fingerconf>
<siteinfo>
</siteinfo>
<option>
showidle
</option>
<option>
showfrom
</option>
<option>
hidemail
</option>
<specialfile>
plan
</specialfile>
<specialfile>
key
<desc>Public key</desc>
</specialfile>
<specialfile>
pgpkey
<desc>PGP public key</desc>
</specialfile>
<desc>User face bitmap</desc>
</specialfile>
</fingerconf>
FILES
~/.fingerconf Personal information.
/etc/fingerconf The system configuration file.
~/.key A public key file.
~/.pgpkey The PGP public key.
~/.face Private face bitmap.
~/.plan Plan description.
~/.fingerrc Personalized finger info script.
~/.nofinger If this file exists no user information is
given away
SEE ALSOpfinger(1), finger(1), in.fingerd(8)BUGS
Report bugs to pfinger@xelia.ch
PFinger $Date: 2001/04/26 09:20:33 $ fingerconf(5)
