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From: dalka@cbnewsc.att.com (kenneth.j.dalka)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: How do you get the IP addr for the DISPLAY var? (Clarification)
Message-ID: <1991Apr4.153423.7164@cbnewsc.att.com>
Date: 4 Apr 91 15:34:23 GMT
References: <1991Apr3.144934.13473@cbnewsc.att.com>
Distribution: usa
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 41

From article <1991Apr3.144934.13473@cbnewsc.att.com>, by dalka@cbnewsc.att.com (kenneth.j.dalka):
> 
> I'm using an X windowing terminal with a UNIX system V machine and I'd like
> to set the DISPLAY variable automatically from a shell script (or C program).
> The problem is that I'd like to make it terminal independent. Rather that
> setting some pre determined IP address in my .profile, I'd like to be able
> to walk down the hall and log on with some other terminal if need be. The
> only way I can see that this would work is if I could somehow ask UNIX
> what my IP address is. It must know because I can login and talk to unix
> before I get to X. If UNIX can send characters back to me, then it knows
> where I am. But I can't find any place in UNIX where the info is stored.
> 
> PS. I don't want some dumb shell to ask me to type in my IP as I login.
> -- 
> 
> 					Ken Dalka (Bell Labs)
> 					att!ihlpf!dalka
> 					IHC 1U-228 (708) 305-4449


I got a number of mail responses to this article and I guess I wasn't clear
about one main point. The X windowing terminal I am talking about is NOT
a workstation. It is a AT&T 730X. This is one of a few X terminals on the
market that only have enough smarts to run the X server in ROM. This terminal
does not run UNIX. I still have to login to some machine to run my
applications. If I run "hostname" I do not get the name of the terminal. I get
the name of the UNIX system I logged in to. I need the IP address of the 
terminal.

I did get one response that suggested I look into the utmp file. This
seems to be a BSD feature and does not exists in System V. This does solve
my problem when I login to a SUN. Unfortunately I have both a System V machine
and a SUN I need to login to. 

Anybody got any other suggestions? Thanks for the responses I've gotten so 
far.
-- 

					Ken Dalka (Bell Labs)
					att!ihlpf!dalka
					IHC 1U-228 (708) 305-4449