Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!hao!gatech!hubcap!ncrcae!ncr-sd!hp-sdd!ucsdhub!jack!nusdhub!rwhite
From: rwhite@nusdhub.UUCP (Robert C. White Jr.)
Newsgroups: news.admin
Subject: Re: Arbitron "Users" count is very wrong under BSD
Message-ID: <585@nusdhub.UUCP>
Date: 9 Feb 88 23:57:15 GMT
References: <15538@onfcanim.UUCP> <247@bacchus.DEC.COM> <181@wundt.psy.vu.nl>
Organization: National University, San Diego
Lines: 29
Summary: Easier than that.
	 USER Counts!


Hi all,
	you are going about this thing all wrong..... [if I may.]

Each of us has a certain number of entries in our /etc/passwd files
which do not represent valid users, that is obvious,  it is also
relativly constant as a scalar quantity.  While the actual number
of valid users may vary greatly on some systems [schools especially]
the actual number of deamons is about the same on any given system
over any given time.
	Granted, when you add a SNA adapter and assocaited software,
or a new LAN, or some such, you do tend to add an "owner" or
deamon, but other than that, you get a one-user-one-entry relation.

	Arbitron should have an SYSDEPUSR=## line which contains
the number of system level user entries in the /etc/passwd file.
We then count up the number of system level entries our passwd
file contains when we install arbitron.  every time there-after,
that arbitron runs it can simply COUNT=`expr ${COUNT} - ${SYSDEPUSR}`
the normal figuring method and BANG!!!! you get more reasonable numbers.

	As far as this goes, an install script could even be
manufactured which would implement all those nasty suggestions
once and only once, and then leave the rest of the maitenence
to whoever cares. [i.e.  If I think my arbitron numbers are
all wrong, I simply rerun the install script, and answer a
few simple questions like ignore(y/n) ?]

Rob.