config -- System Administration

File that configures UUCP
/usr/lib/uucp/config

The file /usr/lib/uucp/config  performs overall configuration of the Taylor
UUCP system.   By setting commands  within this file, you  can override the
default settings that are compiled into the COHERENT edition of UUCP.

Please   note   that   this  file   is   in   no   way   related  to   file
/usr/lib/mail/config,  which configures  smail, the  mail-delivery program.
For  details  on  how  to  configure  smail,  see  the  Lexicon  entry  for
/usr/lib/mail/config,  which  immediately  precedes  this  article  in  the
Lexicon.

Please note  also that COHERENT  does not include  an edition of  this file
with its release of Taylor UUCP.  That is because the default behaviors for
COHERENT are already compiled into UUCP.  However, you can create this file
if you wish,  and use it to change or  override the default behaviors built
into Taylor  UUCP.  This  lets you  customize UUCP to  suit your  needs and
preferences, without having to modify or recompile the UUCP sources.

The rest of  this article describes the commands that  you can embed within
config, should  you wish to change  the defaults for UUCP  on your COHERENT
system.

Miscellaneous Commands

The following config commands perform miscellaneous actions:

hdb-files true|false
     If  true,  use  HoneyDanBer  configuration  files  instead  of  Taylor
     configuration  files.  COHERENT by  default uses  Taylor configuration
     files.

lockdir directory
     Write  lock files  into  directory. Under  COHERENT,  these files  are
     written into /usr/lib/uucp.

max-uuxqts number
     Set to  number the maximum number  of uuxqt processes that  can run at
     any given  time.  The default  is zero, which  means that there  is no
     limit.

nodename name
hostname name
uuname name
     These commands are synonyms.  Each tells  UUCP to use name as the name
     of your  system.  Under  COHERENT, your system's  name is set  in file
     /etc/uuname, and is returned by the system call uname().

pubdir directory
     Use directory as the publically accessible directory.  Under COHERENT,
     the default public directory is /usr/spool/uucppublic.

run-uuxqt string|number
     Specify when uucico should invoke  uuxqt. If its argument is a number,
     uucico invokes uuxqt after it has received number execution files.  If
     it is not a number, it must be one of the following strings:

     once Invoke uuxqt once at the end of execution.
     percall
          Invoke uuxqt once per call.
     never
          Never invoke uuxqt.

     Under COHERENT, the default is once.

spool directory
     Use  directory as  the spool directory.   Under COHERENT,  the default
     spool directory is /usr/spool/uucp.

timetable period time_string
     Define  a  time table  to  be  used by  default  with subsequent  time
     instructions.  period  is the  period of day  to which the  time table
     applies.  time_string  is a standard time string  that applies to that
     time  of  day.   Taylor UUCP  defines  the  following  time tables  by
     default:

         timetable Evening Wk1705-0755,Sa,Su
         timetable Night Wk2305-0755,Sa,Su2305-1655
         timetable NonPeak Wk1805-0655,Sa,Su

unknown string ...
     Let unknown systems log into your system.  An ``unknown,'' is one that
     is not  described in /usr/lib/uucp/sys. Each string  is applied to the
     unknown  system,  just  as if  it  were  named  in  sys. The  COHERENT
     configuration of  Taylor UUCP does  not permit unknown  systems to log
     in.

v2-files true|false
     If true,  use V2-style configuration files.   COHERENT by default uses
     Taylor configuration files.

Configuration File Names

The  following commands  instruct Taylor  UUCP  to use  configuration files
other than the default ones:

callfile file ...
     When dialing  out, read the system name and  password that your system
     passes to  the remote system  from each file. Taylor  UUCP reads these
     files  should  the  password  or  system  name  in  a  given  system's
     description be set  to `*'.  Each line within a  call file consists of
     three fields:  the name of the  remote system, the name  by which your
     system identifies itself to the remote system, and the password.  This
     mechanism  permits  you  to  make  file  /usr/lib/uucp/sys  publically
     readable, while keeping the system names and passwords confidential.

     COHERENT's  default implementation  of Taylor UUCP  does not  use call
     files, but you can set them up easily enough.  Note that if you do so,
     pay careful attention to the permissions that you give each file.

dialcode file ...
     Read  dial  codes  from each  file.  ``Dial  codes''  permits UUCP  to
     interpret  telephone numbers  so they  can  be used  through different
     telephone systems or area codes.  COHERENT by default does not name or
     configure any dial-code files.

dialfile file ...
     Read dialer-configuration information  from every file instead of from
     the default file, /usr/lib/uucp/dial.

passwdfile file ...
     Tell uucico to read system passwords from each file. This applies only
     to systems that are logging into  your system, and only when uucico is
     managing the login  process instead of the standard COHERENT programs.
     Each line in a file consists of two fields: the login name used by the
     remote  system, and  its password.   uucico reads  each file  until it
     finds a password for the system that is attempting to log in.

     Note that  the COHERENT configuration of Taylor  UUCP does not support
     encrypted passwords.

portfile file ...
     Read port-configuration  information from  every file instead  of from
     the default file, /usr/lib/uucp/port.

sysfile file ...
     Read system-configuration information  from every file instead of from
     the default file, /usr/lib/uucp/sys.

Log Files

The following commands  let you change the log files  that Taylor UUCP uses
by default:

debugfile file
     Write debugging  information into file instead  into the default file.
     Because  COHERENT's  port  of  Taylor  UUCP uses  HoneyDanBer  logging
     instead  of  Taylor  logging,  uucico  ignores  this  command.   Under
     COHERENT,    Taylor   UUCP    writes   debugging    information   into
     /usr/spool/uucp/.Admin/audit.local.

logfile file
     Write  logging data  into file.  COHERENT's port  of Taylor  UUCP uses
     HoneyDanBer logging  by default, which means that  each system has its
     own log file within directory /usr/spool/uucp/.Log.

statfile file
     Write  statistics information  into file instead  of into  the default
     file, /usr/spool/uucp/.Admin/xferstats.

Levels of Debugging

The COHERENT port of Taylor UUCP  has debugging compiled into it.  As noted
above,  under COHERENT  Taylor UUCP writes  its debugging  information into
file  /usr/spool/uucp/.Admin/audit.local. You can  place the  command debug
into file config to set the level of debugging to use by default.

Please  What  the Taylor  documentation calls  a level of  debugging really
records information about a  given activity. For example, the command debug
chat tells Taylor UUCP to  record information about all actions taken while
executing a  chat script -- not  just the problems that  occur while a chat
script is being executed.

The command debug recognizes the following commands:

abnormal
     Log abnormal situations.

chat Log chat-script activities.

handshake
     Log activities during handshaking with the remote system.

uucp-proto
     Log activities that involve the UUCP session protocol.

proto
     Log activities that involve individual link protocols.

port Log activities that involve the communications port.

config
     Log activities that occur while reading the configuration files.

spooldir
     Log activities in the spool directory.

execute
     Log whenever a program is executed.

incoming
     Log all incoming data.

outgoing
     Log all outgoing data.

all  Log all of the above.

You can  name more than one  activity with the debug  command.  If you have
more  than one  activity,  the items  in  the list  of  activities must  be
separated by a comma instead of white space; for example, command

    debug chat,handshake

tells UUCP to log activities that occur during execution of the chat script
and handshaking.

A form of  the debug command lets you invoke  activities by number from the
above  list.  note  that  the order  is significant:  abnormal is  activity
number zero, and all activity 11.  For example, command

    debug 3

tells  UUCP to  log  activities zero  through  three --  that is,  abnormal
through uucp-proto.

Note, too, that  the debug command in this file  can be overridden by using
command-line option -x with any UUCP command.

See Also

Administering COHERENT,
dial,
port,
sys,
UUCP

© 2012 by Stephen A. Ness