Mfind Rich West ----- rwest@wesmo.com 06/22/00 See CREDITS file for information about how this software came about. This software is under the GPL. Please see the COPYING file for information. Note: This documentation is a bit outdated (dating back to 8/22/97), but little has changed, since I just unearthed this package for use at my new employer. Please read the README for usage information. Installation is made rather simply by use of Remy Evard's configure and extract utility. Installation: 1. ./configure -p 2. edit the "defs" file to modify items for your environment. 3. make Now, you will want to build the initial database. Create the file "host_list" in the installation directory's lib directory and enter a list of all of the hosts that you wish to keep track of. With that listing built, execute : ./mk.mfind This will take a while to build, depending upon the speed of the machines on the network and the speed OF the network. During this time, you will want to enter a cronjob to execute mk.mfind on a daily basis. This will force a rebuild of the database. Something like: 24 12 * * * (/usr/adm/pkg/mfind/mk.mfind | /usr/ucb/Mail -s Mk.mfind_output janitor) 2>&1 As a note, there are two main functions: 1. mk.mfind - builds the mfind database, using the file "host_list" as a master hostlist and creating a DBM database containing all of the information on the hosts. 2. mfind - queries the DBM database. WISHLIST -------- * Migrate away from Perl's DBM and use mySQL. * Have a better way of determining when Hosts should be removed from the database. * Incorporate the MachineOwner database (which is still in development). * Current status on this is that it is working but needs to be "modularized" in order to be portable to other locations easily. * Clean up the PERL code to migrate completely away from perl4. This is mostly done. (Perl 4 is only in use for backwards compatibility with SunOS 4.x machines.) * Toss the hostlist file all together and use something a bit more dynamic and easier to maintain (eg. parse the NIS hosts table for specific subnets?)