MKPATH(8) Local MKPATH(8)NAMEmkpath - make a pathalias output file
SYNOPSIS
/usr/lib/smail/mkpath [-v] [-V] [-x] [-e] [-n] [ -t trace ] [ path_con‐
fig ]
/usr/lib/smail/dcasehost [ -c ]
DESCRIPTION
Mkpath creates pathalias(8) output given a configuration file that
describes the various sources of input that will be used in generating
this output, and how these sources of input are to be used. The name
of this configuration file is given as the path_config argument. If
path_config is -, then a specification will be taken from the standard
input. If path_config is omitted, then the default specification
/etc/smail/maps/mkpath.conf is used. Unless redirected in the configu‐
ration file, path data is written to the standard output.
Dcasehost converts the hostname in a stream of pathalias data to lower
case. Normally, dcasehost assumes that the hostname is in the first
field in each line, where a field is delimited by whitespace. If the
-c option is specified, then the hostname is assumed to be in the sec‐
ond field. This is for compatibility with the -c option to
pathalias(8). See the pathalias man page for more information.
The dcasehost command is intended to be used only within the mkpath
command.
CONFIGURATION FILE FORMAT
The format of the path configuration file is a set of lines containing
directives. Blank lines are ignored and the character ``#'' begins a
comment which continues until the end of the line. The various possi‐
ble directives are described below.
In these directive descriptions, an argument of arg refers to one of
the following types of arguments:
'literal' Literal data specified inline. (single quotes)
`shell-command` Take data from the standard output of this shell com‐
mand. (back quotes)
filename ... Take data from the named file or files. Files may be
specified using shell globbing notation, with * ? and
[].
The `shell-command` form preserves newlines and whitespace and is thus
not entirely equivalent to usage in sh(1). The following lines result
in the same input to pathalias:
map `cat food` # ackpft!
map food # oop ack!
For the `shell-command` and 'literal' forms, the filename used for
error messages is [stdin].
map arg
Specify map data to be given as input to pathalias. Each file
is preceded by a line containing:
file { pathname }
where pathname is the full pathname to the file. This will
cause error messages from pathalias to refer to the correct
file. Each file is followed by the line containing:
private {}
to force the end of scope for any private directives within the
map files.
safemap arg
This is similar to the map directive, and can be used when you
do not have sufficient control over what the files contain. If
a map file contains the pathalias directives delete and adjust,
those directives are removed and flagged as errors, before the
file is passed to pathalias. If a map file contains pathalias
file directives, those directives are simply removed. No error
message is produced in this case.
delete arg
Specify hosts, links or networks which are to be deleted at this
point. That is, all previous references to any of these items
will be forgotten.
adjust arg
Specify hosts or networks that add on a surcharge to any route
though them. By default, this surcharge is 4000. Costs can
also be added to each site as with pathalias. For example, the
following is a valid adjust file:
walldrug glotz # default surcharge of 4000
kgbvax(1000), kremvax(DEAD) # surcharge of 1000 & DEAD
nsavax(FAST) # reduces cost, FAST < 0
Be careful when using negative adjust surcharges. The pathalias
program will complain if a cost of a link drops below zero.
dead arg
Specify hosts, links or networks which are to be assigned a cost
of DEAD.
text arg
Within an execution block, described in a later section, the
given specified text is sent as the standard input to a
pathalias command. Otherwise, it is written to the standard
output for the mkpath command.
file filename
Set the file to be used by pathalias for error messages, start‐
ing on the next line of pathalias input. The next line will be
reported as if it came from the first line of the file filename.
The file command does not change where pathalias will read next,
only what pathalias calls the line should an error occur.
cd [ dir ]
By default, the current directory used by mkpath begins in the
directory of the configuration file, or in the current directory
if the configuration is read from the standard input. The cd
command without a dir argument changes to the directory from
which mkpath was invoked. A dir arg of - changes the directory
to the default directory based on the name of the configuration
file. Otherwise, dir becomes the current directory for file and
shell command references.
sh cmd The given shell command is executed.
pathalias flags
Process the pathalias input directives that have been collected
since the last pathalias or pathsort directive and execute the
pathalias(8) command with this input. The specified flags are
given as arguments to pathalias. These flags can also contain
i/o redirection, or pipes to other shell commands. For example,
the following is an acceptable use of the pathalias directive:
pathalias -l hostname | mkdbm -o paths
pathsort [ flags ]
This is equivalent to the following directive:
pathalias -i-D | dcasehost | sort -T /var/mail/tmp flags
...
An example of a potentially useful pathsort directive is:
pathsort | sed 's/!foo!/!foobar!/'
A pathsort directive is assumed to follow the end of a configu‐
ration file if an execution block is not terminated prior to the
end of file.
EXECUTION BLOCKS
Directives are executed in blocks. A map, safemap, delete, adjust,
dead or file directive starts a block. Successive directives continue
it. A pathalias or pathsort directive ends a block. The end of a file
can end a block, generating an implicit pathsort directive.
Encountering the end of a block normally results in the execution of a
pathalias(8) command. The exception is when a end of block command is
read when no block was started. In this case the block is ignored.
When the start of a block is seen, all directives up to the end of the
block are collected and fed into the resulting pathalias(8) command.
Directives such as cd, sh or text within a block only effect that
block. Therefore, a cd directive within a block will only change the
directory for the remainder of that block, whereas a cd directive out‐
side of a block has a global effect.
Additionally a text or sh directive will feed its standard output into
the block's pathalias command when it is inside a block, while a text
or sh directive outside of a block will send its output direct to the
standard output of the mkpath command. This later effect allows for
the injection of literal pathalias output into the output stream.
OPTIONS
The following options are recognized by mkpath:
-v The internal sh(1) commands are executed with a -v option, thus
echoing the commands that are piped to the shell prior to their
being processed.
-V Tell any pathalias commands to produce verbose messages.
-x Pass the -x flag to invocations of the shell, causing commands
which are about to execute to be echoed.
-e Pass the -e flag to invocations of the shell, causing shells to
exit whenever a command returns a non-zero exit status. In
addition, the mkpath program will exit when it encounters a syn‐
tax error or unknown directive.
-n Disable the execution of any shell commands that mkpath gener‐
ates. This is useful with the -v option and disables the -x, -e
and -V options.
-t trace
Cause the input to pathalias to be copied into the file trace.
EXAMPLES
Here is a simple example of a mkpath configuration file:
# world.conf - configure our map setup to build world.map
# get the usenet world maps
cd /usr/spool/uumaps
safemap [ud].*
# merge in the new maps
cd /usr/lib/smail/maps
safemap newmap/*.map
# delete our site and merge our private map data
delete `uuname -l`
map world.map private.map tweak.map
This configuration file can be used for a UUCP gateway host:
# Pathalias database for a UUCP gateway
# map information is stored under this directory
cd /usr/lib/smail
# build paths to USENET hosts
map usenet/[du].* # grab all published maps, start of block
delete `uuname -l` # delete published references to our site
dead dead # links and sites with cost of DEAD
map ourmap # add our up-to-date map file
pathsort > paths.global # end of block
# build paths for our local domain
map local.map # major domain info, start of block
cd ../uts # cd only affects this block
map domain.map # map for uts.amdahl.com domain
adjust 'flaky' # add 4000 to routes thru flaky
adjust 'flako(HOURLY)' # add HOURLY to routes thru flako
pathsort > paths.local # end of block
# build a sorted forces file, from the source forces file
sh mkline -t forces | dcasehost | sort -u +0 -1 > forces.sort
# output paths and clean up
sh pathmerge forces.sort paths.local paths.global
sh rm -f forces.sort paths.local paths.global # cleanup
SEE ALSOpathalias(8), mkline(8), mkdbm(8), mkhpath(8), mkuuwho(8), sort(1),
sh(1), smail(5), smail(8) and pathmerge(8).
BUGS
The first ``#'' character on a line begins a comment regardless of
whether or not it is within quotes.
The -e option does not stop all execution, only command execution
within an instance of the shell created by mkpath.
Continuation lines are not currently allowed in the configuration file.
Each command must be on a single line.
For errors reported by pathalias for input that came from the configu‐
ration file itself, the line number reported is likely to be incorrect,
because the pathalias file cannot be used to set a line number within
the file.
If both -V and -t are used, the -V option must precede -t .
COPYRIGHTCopyright(C)1987, 1988 Ronald S. Karr and Landon Curt Noll
Copyright(C)1992 Ronald S. Karr
See a file COPYING, distributed with the source code, or type smail -bc
for distribution rights and restrictions associated with this software.
Smail-3 RELEASE-3_2_0_115 MKPATH(8)
