Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ncar!tank!eecae!cps3xx!usenet
From: usenet@cps3xx.UUCP (Usenet file owner)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: GNU os suggestions -- system data interfaces
Message-ID: <3280@cps3xx.UUCP>
Date: 4 Jun 89 19:19:07 GMT
References: <1344@marvin.Solbourne.COM>
Reply-To: rang@cpsin3.cps.msu.edu (Anton Rang)
Organization: Michigan State University, Computer Science Dept.
Lines: 23

In article <1344@marvin.Solbourne.COM> dce@Solbourne.com (David Elliott) writes:
>I've done extensive work in the areas of system administration interfaces
>and automation, and in the area of porting Unix commands.
>
>Two items that I find particularly annoying are getting kernel data
>values and handling system files.

I agree.  A better approach is the $GETSYI/$GETJPI calls found in VMS.
They are complicated, and there may be better ways to organize the
information they return, but:

  (1) They provide a fairly consistent interface for retrieving information.
  (2) They isolate my programs from system data structure changes.
  (3) They provide a point to implement security mechanisms.

			Anton

(Warning: I'm biased, check my .sig)

+---------------------------+------------------------+
| Anton Rang (grad student) | "VMS Forever!"         |
| Michigan State University | rang@cpswh.cps.msu.edu |
+---------------------------+------------------------+