***		Information about installing PFinger	***

1. Compiling

First step is to compile the package. Do the following: 

in the PFinger top level directory execute:

  ./configure		 GNU configuration script (see also Chapter 5)
  make			 Build the package

Configure is the common GNU configuration script, which attempts to
guess what your system needs for compilation of PFinger.

Configure takes several standard options, see Chapter 5 below.

Non-standard options to configure:

--without-server	Only build the client
			Don't build in.fingerd and fingerd

--without-client	Only build the server
			Don't build pfinger

Default is to build both. The standard (non-graphical) finger client is
always built.

If GTK is not found, the client is automatically not made. If you
nevertheless run into problems, try to specify --without-client as
option to configure.

2. Installing the binaries

For installing the binaries in /usr/local/bin (pfinger and finger) and 
/usr/local/sbin (in.fingerd and fingerd) execute:

make install

3. Server Configuration

3.1 inetd.conf

Modify /etc/inetd.conf to contain the following line:

finger  stream  tcp     nowait  nobody    /usr/sbin/tcpd  /usr/sbin/in.fingerd

(this may vary on your platform, see inetd.conf(5))

Remember to let inetd reread its config file.

3.2 /etc/fingerconf

Create a global confguration file for your host. Start by modifying the 
sample fingerconf in this directory.

3.2.1 Format

The fingerconf file is a simple XML-like file. This means every option
has the form <option>value</option>.

3.2.2 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
		     hideall:	Do not answer "finger @host"
		     
<dbpath>	     see section 3.3

<sitehost>	     see section 3.5
<clientlist>
<client>     
<poll>

<sitemaster>         same as <sitehost>	(backwards compatibilty)

3.3 /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 writable 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.

3.4 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.

3.5 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 /etc/fingerconf:
  (Poll clients (lab1 and lab2) all 150 seconds)

  <fingerconf>
  <poll>150</poll>		
  <clientlist>
  <client>lab1</client>
  <client>lab2</client>
  </clientlist>
  </fingerconf>  

4. Users

Users may have a ".fingerconf" in their home-directory. The easiest way to 
create this, is to use the pfinger client.

5. Information about configure

Basic Installation
==================

   These are generic installation instructions.

   The `configure' shell script attempts to guess correct values for
various system-dependent variables used during compilation.  It uses
those values to create a `Makefile' in each directory of the package.
It may also create one or more `.h' files containing system-dependent
definitions.  Finally, it creates a shell script `config.status' that
you can run in the future to recreate the current configuration, a file
`config.cache' that saves the results of its tests to speed up
reconfiguring, and a file `config.log' containing compiler output
(useful mainly for debugging `configure').

   If you need to do unusual things to compile the package, please try
to figure out how `configure' could check whether to do them, and mail
diffs or instructions to the address given in the `README' so they can
be considered for the next release.  If at some point `config.cache'
contains results you don't want to keep, you may remove or edit it.

   The file `configure.in' is used to create `configure' by a program
called `autoconf'.  You only need `configure.in' if you want to change
it or regenerate `configure' using a newer version of `autoconf'.

The simplest way to compile this package is:

  1. `cd' to the directory containing the package's source code and type
     `./configure' to configure the package for your system.  If you're
     using `csh' on an old version of System V, you might need to type
     `sh ./configure' instead to prevent `csh' from trying to execute
     `configure' itself.

     Running `configure' takes awhile.  While running, it prints some
     messages telling which features it is checking for.

  2. Type `make' to compile the package.

  3. Optionally, type `make check' to run any self-tests that come with
     the package.

  4. Type `make install' to install the programs and any data files and
     documentation.

  5. You can remove the program binaries and object files from the
     source code directory by typing `make clean'.  To also remove the
     files that `configure' created (so you can compile the package for
     a different kind of computer), type `make distclean'.  There is
     also a `make maintainer-clean' target, but that is intended mainly
     for the package's developers.  If you use it, you may have to get
     all sorts of other programs in order to regenerate files that came
     with the distribution.

Compilers and Options
=====================

   Some systems require unusual options for compilation or linking that
the `configure' script does not know about.  You can give `configure'
initial values for variables by setting them in the environment.  Using
a Bourne-compatible shell, you can do that on the command line like
this:
     CC=c89 CFLAGS=-O2 LIBS=-lposix ./configure

Or on systems that have the `env' program, you can do it like this:
     env CPPFLAGS=-I/usr/local/include LDFLAGS=-s ./configure

Compiling For Multiple Architectures
====================================

   You can compile the package for more than one kind of computer at the
same time, by placing the object files for each architecture in their
own directory.  To do this, you must use a version of `make' that
supports the `VPATH' variable, such as GNU `make'.  `cd' to the
directory where you want the object files and executables to go and run
the `configure' script.  `configure' automatically checks for the
source code in the directory that `configure' is in and in `..'.

   If you have to use a `make' that does not supports the `VPATH'
variable, you have to compile the package for one architecture at a time
in the source code directory.  After you have installed the package for
one architecture, use `make distclean' before reconfiguring for another
architecture.

Installation Names
==================

   By default, `make install' will install the package's files in
`/usr/local/bin', `/usr/local/man', etc.  You can specify an
installation prefix other than `/usr/local' by giving `configure' the
option `--prefix=PATH'.

   You can specify separate installation prefixes for
architecture-specific files and architecture-independent files.  If you
give `configure' the option `--exec-prefix=PATH', the package will use
PATH as the prefix for installing programs and libraries.
Documentation and other data files will still use the regular prefix.

   In addition, if you use an unusual directory layout you can give
options like `--bindir=PATH' to specify different values for particular
kinds of files.  Run `configure --help' for a list of the directories
you can set and what kinds of files go in them.

   If the package supports it, you can cause programs to be installed
with an extra prefix or suffix on their names by giving `configure' the
option `--program-prefix=PREFIX' or `--program-suffix=SUFFIX'.

Optional Features
=================

   Some packages pay attention to `--enable-FEATURE' options to
`configure', where FEATURE indicates an optional part of the package.
They may also pay attention to `--with-PACKAGE' options, where PACKAGE
is something like `gnu-as' or `x' (for the X Window System).  The
`README' should mention any `--enable-' and `--with-' options that the
package recognizes.

   For packages that use the X Window System, `configure' can usually
find the X include and library files automatically, but if it doesn't,
you can use the `configure' options `--x-includes=DIR' and
`--x-libraries=DIR' to specify their locations.

Specifying the System Type
==========================

   There may be some features `configure' can not figure out
automatically, but needs to determine by the type of host the package
will run on.  Usually `configure' can figure that out, but if it prints
a message saying it can not guess the host type, give it the
`--host=TYPE' option.  TYPE can either be a short name for the system
type, such as `sun4', or a canonical name with three fields:
     CPU-COMPANY-SYSTEM

See the file `config.sub' for the possible values of each field.  If
`config.sub' isn't included in this package, then this package doesn't
need to know the host type.

   If you are building compiler tools for cross-compiling, you can also
use the `--target=TYPE' option to select the type of system they will
produce code for and the `--build=TYPE' option to select the type of
system on which you are compiling the package.

Sharing Defaults
================

   If you want to set default values for `configure' scripts to share,
you can create a site shell script called `config.site' that gives
default values for variables like `CC', `cache_file', and `prefix'.
`configure' looks for `PREFIX/share/config.site' if it exists, then
`PREFIX/etc/config.site' if it exists.  Or, you can set the
`CONFIG_SITE' environment variable to the location of the site script.
A warning: not all `configure' scripts look for a site script.

Operation Controls
==================

   `configure' recognizes the following options to control how it
operates.

`--cache-file=FILE'
     Use and save the results of the tests in FILE instead of
     `./config.cache'.  Set FILE to `/dev/null' to disable caching, for
     debugging `configure'.

`--help'
     Print a summary of the options to `configure', and exit.

`--quiet'
`--silent'
`-q'
     Do not print messages saying which checks are being made.  To
     suppress all normal output, redirect it to `/dev/null' (any error
     messages will still be shown).

`--srcdir=DIR'
     Look for the package's source code in directory DIR.  Usually
     `configure' can determine that directory automatically.

`--version'
     Print the version of Autoconf used to generate the `configure'
     script, and exit.

`configure' also accepts some other, not widely useful, options.