Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!hplabs!hpda!hpcuhb!hpcllla!hpclisp!hpclkms!ken From: ken@hpclkms.cup.hp.com (Ken Sumrall) Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp Subject: Re: biff Message-ID: <1340159@hpclkms.cup.hp.com> Date: 5 Feb 91 02:53:40 GMT References: Organization: Hewlett-Packard Calif. Language Lab Lines: 32 >There is a UNIX BSD utility program called 'biff' which notifies the >user about any incoming mail. Is there any similar program on HP-UX? >If not, has anyone tried to write code with similar functionality. > Biff(1) is easy to port to HP-UX. All it does is set the owner execute bit on the controlling tty of the user. The trick is to get comsat(1m) working. Comsat is a daemon that is run out of /etc/inetd.conf, and notifies the user of new mail. On BSD systems, the local delivery agent talks to comsat over a socket, to tell it new mail has arrived, and then comsat tells the user. My solution to the problem, (since I couldn't hack the source of /bin/rmail), was to make a mail wrapper program that replaced /bin/rmail. This program forked a copy of /bin/rmail.orig to deliver the mail, and then talked to comsat to have it report new mail to the user. I got the wrapper program off usenet a while ago, and hacked it for HP-UX. The comsat program is basically the comsat program from BSD, also slightly hacked. If you want a copy of the source, send me email. >Thanks in advance, > Your welcome. >Masoud Majidi (majidi@paul.rutgers.edu) > *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* * Ken Sumrall * * Internet: ken%hpda@hplabs.hp.com | UUCP: ...!hplabs!hpda!ken * * "I'd stomp desert dope heads for some gas in my moped!" - Bill the Cat * * "What a stupid world" -Calvin (speaking to Hobbes) * *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*