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fingerconf(5)                UNIX Reference Manual               fingerconf(5)

NAME
       fingerconf - 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
       finger 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
       information 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
       automatically gathers the online information from the clients all 30
       seconds (configurable).  The users need not to be able to log into the
       master. They must however be known (via /etc/passwd, yp/NIS or
       similar).

       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 ALSO
       pfinger(1), finger(1),  in.fingerd(8)
BUGS
       Report bugs to pfinger@xelia.ch

PFinger                  $Date: 2001/04/26 09:20:33 $            fingerconf(5)