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The UNIX finger service can be used to provide a form of user directory service. After you have installed the finger service, remote users will have the ability to query user profiles on your Virtual Server. User profiles include information such as full name, login name, home directory, as well as the contents of the ".plan", ".project", or ".forward" files. The ".plan"".project", and ".forward" files must be located in each of your users home directories (if they exist).
Installing the Finger Service
To install the finger service, simply connect to your Virtual Server
using Telnet or SSH
and type the following commands:
-
cdand hit return (this will put you in your home directory) - then type
tar -xvf /usr/local/contrib/finger.tar
After you have installed finger on your Virtual Server you can perform queries using any finger client. An example of a CGI client is included in the next section of this document.
Using a Finger Client
In order for remote users to query the finger service on your Virtual
Server, they will need to use a finger client. A finger client is
included with the standard distribution of most UNIX operating systems.
Finger clients for the Macintosh and Microsoft Windows operating systems
are available by searching the major shareware archives.
You can also write a simple CGI script to interface with a finger client. This would allow any remote user that has access to a web browser to perform finger queries. The iServer Webmaster has written such an CGI, the form to access this CGI is included below.
To use the script, type in a username in the first text field, and a remote host in the second. For example, to finger the user "happy@www.iserver.com", type in "happy" in the first text field, and "www.iserver.com" in the second text field, then select the "Lookup" button.
Installation instructions for the finger CGI script can be found in the iServer CGI Library.
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