From: utzoo!decvax!cca!ima!johnl
Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards
Title: Re: microsoft's answer to dot files
Article-I.D.: ima.244
Posted: Fri Oct 29 16:46:00 1982
Received: Sat Oct 30 03:22:24 1982

Forwarded from Mark Kampe, ima!ism780!mark

Part of our efforts at INTERACTIVE have been directed towards making
system management easier by localizing the important system information
in a small number of places.  Like Berkeley and Microsoft, we want to
allow system managers a great deal of freedom in tailoring their devices
and defaults.  Unlike Berkeley and Microsoft, we wanted to avoid a
profusion of files and syntaxes.  We also wanted to avoid the error prone
complexities of forcing a system manager to update multiple files or
perform some post-processing operation on the files after editing them.

Our solution is based on "attribute structured files".  These files all
have a uniform syntax and are maintained in ASCII form.  There is a set
of simple querry routines for extracting information from these files, so
it is easy for programs to use them also.  We use these files (the same
syntax) for many different applications.  The files consist of named stanzas,
each containing a series of attribute=value statements.  The syntax provides
for multiple and default vaues.  Two attribute structured files that are
directly relevent to this discussion are /etc/filesystems and /etc/ports.

***/etc/filesystems***

    default:
	    mount   = true
	    check   = true
	    free    = true
	    vol     = ISC001
	    cyl     = 608
	    skip    = 12
	    dumpdev = /dev/rmt8
	    dumpden = 1600

    /:
	    dev   = /dev/hp0
	    size  = 12300
	    check = 1

    /a:
	    dev   = /dev/rp9
	    size  = 45600

    /70sccs:
	    dev   = /dev/rp1
	    size  = 62016

    /oldsrc:
	    mount = true,readonly
	    dev   = /dev/rp2
	    size  = 62016

All file system relevent programs accept file system names or device names,
and use /etc/filesystems to map between them.  All programs that need to know
file system parameters get them from this file.  All defaults come from
this file.  In general, adding a new file system is as simple as

	add a stanza such as
		/newfs:
			dev = /dev/rp4
			size = 32000

	typing the two commands
		mkfs /newfs
		mount /newfs

	And from then on, it will be mounted, dumped, checked and
	everything else by default.

***/etc/ports***

    default:
	    enabled = true
	    erase   = 010
	    kill    = 025
	    speed   = 9600
	    herald  = "\r\nINTERACTIVE System/Three: ISM780\r\nlogin:\007 "
	    logger  = /priv/login
	    printer = diablo
	    term    = intext2

    /dev/console:
	    speed = 1200

    /dev/tty00:

    /dev/tty01:

    * This port is bad for some unknown reason, should be researched
    *      it seems to generate alot of noise when disconnected
    /dev/tty03:
	    enabled = false

    /dev/tty17:
	    speed  = 1200
	    parity = none, odd+inpck, even+inpck
	    term   = dialin
	    super  = false

    /dev/tty50:
	    loc = "ftp/INnet link to ISM1"
	    program = "/etc/ftplogger -pw -r4"
	    speed = 4800

    /dev/ipl0:
	    enabled = false
	    loc = "ftp/INnet link to ISM70"
	    program = "/etc/ftplogger -pn"

Init and getty find out everything they need to know about a terminal from
this file.  The last two stanzas show how the file is also used to control
non-login ports.  The attributes of all communication ports and all of their
associated daemon processes are also controlled from this one file.

A complete description of all of the parameters and how they can be used
would be rather voluminous (that is why we have a system manager's handbook),
but the important punchlines are:

    1) all information about a type of system resource is localized in
       one file.

    2) the file is human readable and human modifiable.

    3) there are always reasonable system defaults and the system
       manager can impose his own defaults

    4) in most cases, changing the entry in that file is the only
       thing that has to be done.

    5) all programs and system management utilities get everything
       they know out of those files.

    6) we use the same syntax and query routines for system management
       databases

	    system ports (incomming and outgoing)
	    file systems
	    queuing system queues and devices
	    word processing configuration

    7) the query routines are generally available and are used by many
       applications developers as well.


---mark---

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