Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 alpha 4/15/85; site ucbvax.ARPA
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!whuxlm!whuxl!houxm!ihnp4!ucbvax!info-vax
From: info-vax@ucbvax.ARPA
Newsgroups: fa.info-vax
Subject: Re: removing inactive users
Message-ID: <7682@ucbvax.ARPA>
Date: Sat, 1-Jun-85 01:08:44 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.7682
Posted: Sat Jun  1 01:08:44 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 2-Jun-85 02:43:31 EDT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.ARPA
Organization: University of California at Berkeley
Lines: 33

From: Chris Yoder <engvax!CHRIS@cit-vax>

       Yes, the standard reasons for logging people out are to free up ports, 
modems, etc, and to have users charges get outrageous (even if it *is* thier
fault).  A command procedure that isn't very clean, but that works well enough
is trivial to write if you have NAMES (written mostly by Kevin Carosso, and I
believe that it ended up on a Decus tape, but I'm not sure) which has an idle
terminal time flag.  

     Actually, what I'd like to see is a disconnect program that would
disconnect the user instead of logging them out.  We have our disconnect limit
set at 5 hours so that we can disconnect and come back after lunch and pick up
where we were, so simply disconnecting the job would allow them to pick up the
job later, it frees up the port, and it charges them for 5 hours of extra
connect time if they totally forget (they usually don't miss it, and it
generates a little extra revenue  :-)  )!  Thus, they will not get charged
excessively, but yet they do get charged somewhat (forgetfullness is not that
great an excuse), their port gets freed up,  yet their job is secure and can be
gotten back to if they think about it.  I can think of dozens of other reasons
why a disconnect program would be useful... say you get to the machine room and
realize that you didn't disconnect but wanted that job (or were just indisposed
to finding the terminal and disconnecting it yourself). 

				-- Chris Yoder

UUCP --- {allegra|ihnp4}!scgvaxd!engvax!chris
ARPA --- engvax!chris@cit-vax.ARPA

<Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that they're not out to get you...>

{  The opinions here are representative of Huge Aircrash, not me and 
   *especially* not of my poor little keyboard.    8-)=
}