Basic Installation

Here are the steps that you will need to take in order to install GNU Finger.

1. Pick a machine which will be the local finger server for your network. Create a `clients' file, and install it in `/usr/local/etc/fingerdir' (or the EtcDir as specified in `config.h'). Put the names of all hosts that should report to the finger server in this file. Don't forget to include the finger server itself.
2. For each client (the designated server is also a client), do the following,
3. Change your working directory to be the top of the GNU Finger sources. For instance, if you have placed the source in `/src/gnu/finger' you would type `cd /src/gnu/finger'.
4. In the source directory, type `make clean' and `./configure' if this host is different from the previous one. 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. The configure shell script attempts to guess correct values for various system-dependent variables used during compilation, and creates the Makefile(s) (one in each subdirectory of the source directory). In some packages it creates a C header file containing system-dependent definitions. It also creates a file `config.status' that you can run in the future to recreate the current configuration. Running configure takes a minute or two. While it is running, it prints some messages that tell what it is doing. If you don't want to see the messages, run configure with its standard output redirected to `/dev/null'; for example, `./configure >/dev/null'. To compile the package in a different directory from the one containing the source code, 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 configure. configure automatically checks for the source code in the directory that configure is in and in `..'. If for some reason configure is not in the source code directory that you are configuring, then it will report that it can't find the source code. In that case, run configure with the option `--srcdir=DIR', where DIR is the directory that contains the source code. You can tell `configure' to figure out the configuration for your system, and record it in `config.status', without actually configuring the package (creating `Makefile' and perhaps a configuration header file). To do this, give configure the `--no-create' option. Later, you can run ./config.status to actually configure the package for a particular host. This option is useful mainly in `Makefile' rules for updating `config.status' and `Makefile'. You can also give `config.status' the `--recheck' option, which makes it re-run configure with the same arguments you used before. This is useful if you change configure. `configure' ignores any other arguments that you give it. If you want to install the GNU Finger configuration files somewhere other than `/usr/local/etc/fingerdir', then you should edit the files `./config.h' and `include/fingerpaths.h' now. You need to specify the alternate locations of where the configuration files will be kept. If you want to include the unsupported code for mugshots, then you should now also choose one of the face formats, as well as edit `lib/Makefile.in', `lib/site/Makefile.in', and `src/Makefile.in' to compile and link in the files necessary. If your system requires unusual options for compilation or linking that configure doesn't know about, you can give configure initial values for some variables by setting them in the environment. In Bourne-compatible shells, you can do that on the command line like this:

   CC='gcc -traditional' DEFS=-D_POSIX_SOURCE ./configure
   

   The `make' variables that you might want to override with environment variables when running configure are: (For these variables, any value given in the environment overrides the value that `configure' would choose:)

   CC

   C compiler program. Default is `cc', or `gcc' if `gcc' is in your search path.

   INSTALL

   Program to use to install files. Default is `install' if you have it, `cp' otherwise.

   (For these variables, any value given in the environment is added to the value that `configure' chooses:)

   DEFS

   Configuration options, in the form `-Dfoo -Dbar ...'

   LIBS

   Libraries to link with, in the form `-lfoo -lbar ...'

5. To build and/or install the GNU Finger executables and standard targets, issue one of the following commands:

   `make server'

   To build and install all executables, plus install the finger-specific server configuration files. Use this if the host is the designated finger server.

   `make client'

   To build all executables, but install only those used by the non-server clients. Use this unless the host is the designated finger server.

   `make all'

   To build all executables, but perform no installation.

   The above commands build `lib/libfinger.a' and the main programs in `src': finger, in.fingerd, and in.cfingerd, as well as fingerd on the server. If you want to, you can override the `make' variables CFLAGS and LDFLAGS like this:

   make CFLAGS=-O2 LDFLAGS=-s
   

6. Modify the system configuration so that the client has (refer to the system documentation for details on how to do this on a particular system):
   • Entries in the system `services' file, or equivalent, which mentions the correct TCP port for in.cfingerd (port 2003) and in.fingerd (port 79). If port 2003 is already used by something else, then read the section on Configuration Files for details on how to specify a port other than 2003 in the `/usr/local/etc/fingerdir/clients' file. A good name for the service is `cfinger'.
   • Entries in the system `inetd.conf' file, or equivalent, which contains references to in.cfingerd and in.fingerd. in.fingerd needs to be run with UID root. Consult your system documentation for details on how to do this. in.cfingerd should be run with UID root on System V derivatives.
   • a `/usr/local/etc/fingerdir/serverhost' file which contains the name of the GNU Finger server host,
   • a `/usr/local/etc/fingerdir/mailhost' file which contains the name of the mail server to ask for user mail forwarding information and mailing list expansion, and
   • the inetd daemon restarted, so that server and user requests can be answered.
7. When you have performed the above steps for each client, log onto the designated GNU Finger server.
8. Start the server daemon, fingerd. You should arrange to have fingerd started every time the server host is rebooted. For exact details on how to do this, please refer to the server host's system documentation.
9. If you chose to include the mugshots option, now might be a good time to install the mugshots. But first, try getting a face from another site running GNU Finger! For example, you might try

   finger --face bfox@aurel.cns.caltech.edu
   

10. Modify the files `x-.help' and `x-.site' in `/usr/local/etc/fingerdir/targets' for your site.

Now you're all set! You might like to read through the section on Configuration Files.

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