Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!wuarchive!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!tale
From: tale@pawl.rpi.edu (David C Lawrence)
Newsgroups: news.software.b
Subject: Re: How can I remain calm?
Message-ID: <1989Oct11.215444.11983@rpi.edu>
Date: 11 Oct 89 21:54:44 GMT
References: <1989Oct11.211031.10051@ee.rochester.edu>
Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY
Lines: 27

In <1989Oct11.211031.10051@ee.rochester.edu> deke@ee.rochester.edu
(Dikran Kassabian) writes:
Dikran> Under what circumstances can my sys file get requested by and
Dikran> sent to others?  For what purpose?

brodie@moocow.mcw.edu requested the sys file of every site in the
world with a "sendsys" control message.  Modern control messages are
identified by the Control: header line, though older format are
supported.  Commands for control messages include "cancel msg-id",
"newgroup group [moderated]", "rmgroup group", "sendsys", "senduuname"
and "version".  These messages get filed in the pseudo-group control.

Sendsys requests that each site receiving the message send its sysfile
to the requestion.  This can be used to check on network connexions
and see the scope of a distribution (though senduuname and version
will give you a lot fewer bytes in your mailbox).  A couple of weeks
ago I sent out a Distribution: capdist sendsys to check on local
connectivity and found a leak out to another site that I don't believe
really wants capdist.

Basically, just do what it says.  Remain calm.  Unless of course you
make lots of nasty comments about other admins in your sys file, in
which case you can panic.

Dave
-- 
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