server - Internet file server
server
Server processes any file server requests found in the server’s mailbox file. Requests are made by sending mail to server@host, putting the request in the Subject field of the message. If the “Subject:” field is blank or not found, the request is assumed to be in the first line of the body of the message.
Request commands are:
Request directory listings
Request help on using the server
Request index files for the server directories
Request a site map from the host’s archives
Request a file from the server’s archives
The optional [dir] argument (without the brackets, of course) is the name of a subdirectory area within the server’s main directory. The user needn’t specify a complete path to the directory, only the directory’s name. Example:
index apple2
Should the directory itself contain another directory, the user can access it by using a slash to separate the two (e.g. “index apple2/programs”).
The server commands (except for HELP) can take multiple arguments. Example:
send file1 file2 dir/file3
If the MAP command is given without an argument, a directory listing of the map archive area is sent.
By default, the server’s domain includes $/pub and all the directories
within it, and the site maps are assumed to be found in $/sys/maps. The
administrator may choose different paths to these areas by
editing the server resource file ($/etc/rsrc/server.rsrc) and placing
the complete path to the main server directory in the first line of the
file, and the complete path to the map directory in the second line.
When these commands are used without any arguments, the entire structure
within the main server directory is referenced. This means that if DIR
alone were specified, the user would get directories for all the
subdirectories inside of the server’s domain. Likewise, INDEX alone
would get indexes for all server areas.
When a directory argument is used with DIR or INDEX, the structure including that directory and its domain is referenced. In short, these commands return the entire tree (if no argument is given), or branches of the tree depending on the argument given. Most server archives have directory structures only a level or two deep.
As stated, the server’s domain is the $/pub directory and all files and
subdirectories within it. If your server archives contain numerous files
it is best to organize them into subdirectory areas.
Each area (including $/pub) should contain a file named INDEX which gives a quick table of contents for that area. The INDEX file format is not rigid, though it should at least contain this information:
Name of the host system
Name of the area
Date when the index was last modified
Contents of the area
Typically, the content list contains entries, one per file, giving the name of the file and a short description. You can add more information if you desire, though it is best to be as brief as possible, giving only the information necessary for browsing.
The server abides by the permission attributes assigned to directories
in the server archives. If a user requests a file from a directory that
does not have read permission, the request is stored in the queue file
called $/etc/server.req (which can be used as a shell script later on).
The root user can validate each entry, removing those without
clearance, then launch the file as a shell script in order for
the file requests to be fulfilled. Example:
source server.req
The file’s type is text, and requires the shell’s “source” command in order to run.
Every outgoing file sent by the server can also include an optional
message. This message is stored in the $/etc/help/server.msg file.
This could include short messages such as rules regarding server
usage, and so on. It should probably end with a dashed “cut here”
line to let the requester know when the real file starts.
The server maintains a log file ($spool/logs/servlog) listing the requests and
when they were processed.