Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mailrus!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!pavo!newsmgr
From: NEWSMGR@pavo.concordia.ca (Tim Lapin  Tel: (514) 848-7639  News Manager)
Newsgroups: news.software.anu-news
Subject: Re: ** Convert/reclaim in Newspack.com failing **
Message-ID: <2942@pavo.concordia.ca>
Date: 2 Mar 90 16:08:02 GMT
References: <1872@clyde.concordia.ca>
Lines: 41

In article <1872@clyde.concordia.ca>, timl@maxwell.Concordia.CA ( TIM LAPIN ) writes:
> An interesting thing happened to me on the way through my morning check:
> 
> I found that after convert news_root:news.items news_root:items command,
> the command convert/recliam news_root:news.items **failed** due to:
> "File currently locked by another user".
> 
> I need to find a way to insure that the file is free to be manipulated at
> that time.  Would a 'set protection' command do the job?
> -- 
> Tim Lapin   Concordia University             Tel:   (514) 848-7639
> INTERNET:   timl@maxwell.concordia.ca     BITNET:   timl@vax2.concordia.ca

Hi once again,

Well, after posting the above epistle, I gave the matter some more thought
and short of kicking people off the system between certain times if they
are running NEWS, I came up with two alternatives:

Firstly, thanks to those who responded.

1)	Set ACL lists for news.items to be limited to a minimum
	during the database management routines.

2)	Re-define the 'news.exe' hook to a '.com' file which will decide
	on running  news based on access priveledge and time of day.

Naturally, both these methods share the weakness that if someone is ALREADY
on NEWS before the changes come into effect, then they will neatly bypass
the controls.  However, one can set the changes to occur well before the
invokation of the database routines and can set them back only after the
routines have finished.  In this way one reduces the chance of having
someone on at the crucial time.

If anyone else has a better idea I'd like to hear it.  If anyone wants my
workarounds just ask.  If enough ask, I'll post the relevant files.

-- 
Tim Lapin   Concordia University             Tel:    (514) 848-7639
INTERNET:   timl@maxwell.concordia.ca     BITNET:    timl@vax2.concordia.ca
NEWSMGR:    newsmgr@pavo.concordia.ca  |  ANU NEWS 5.8A  VMS 5.1  VAX C 3.0