buffchan - buffered file-writing backend for InterNetNews
SYNOPSIS
buffchan [ -b ] [ -c lines ] [ -C seconds ] [ -d directory
] [ -f fields ] [ -m map ] [ -p pidfile ] [ -l lines ] [
-L seconds ] [ -r ] [ -s file_format ] [ -u ]
DESCRIPTION
Buffchan reads lines from standard input and copies cer
tain fields in each line into files named by other fields
within the line. Buffchan is intended to be called by
innd(8) as an exploder feed.
OPTIONS
-b Once buffchan opens a file it keeps it open. The
input must therefore never specify more files than
can the number of available descriptors can keep
open. If the ``-b'' flag is used, the program will
allocate a buffer and attach it to the file using
setbuf(3).
-c If the ``-c'' flag is used with a number n, then
buffchan will close, and re-open, a file after
every n lines are written to a file.
-C Similarly, the ``-C'' flag may be used to specify
that all files should be closed and re-opened every
n seconds.
-d The ``-d'' flag may be used to specify a directory
the program should change to before starting. If
this flag is used, then the default for the ``-s''
flag is changed to be a simple ``%s.''
-f Buffchan input is interpreted as a set of lines.
Each line contains a fixed number of initial
fields, followed by a variable number of filename
fields. All fields in a line are separated by
whitespace. The default number of initial fields
is one; the ``-f'' flag may be used to specify a
different number of fields.
-m See filechan(8) for an example.
-p If the ``-p'' flag is used, the program will write
a line containing its process ID (in text) to the
specified file.
-l If the ``-l'' flag is used with a number n, then
buffchan will call fflush(3) after every n lines
are written to a file.
-L If the ``-L'' flag is used with a number n, then
-r By default, the program sets its standard error to
<pathlog in inn.conf>/errlog.
To suppress this redirection, use the ``-r'' flag.
-s After the initial fields, each remaining field
names a file to write. The ``-s'' flag may be used
to specify a format string that maps the field to a
file name. This is a sprintf(3) format string
which should have a single ``%s'' parameter which
will be given the field. The default value is
<pathoutgoing in inn.conf>/%s. See the description
of this flag in filechan(8).
-u If the ``-u'' flag is used, the program will
request unbuffered output.
Buffchan can be invoked as an exploder feed (see news
feeds(5)). As such, if a line starts with an exclamation
point it will be treated as a command. There are three
commands, described below:
flush The ``flush'' command closes and re-opens all open
files; ``flush xxx'' which flushes only the speci
fied site. These are analogous to the ctlinnd(8)
``flush'' command, and can be achieved by doing a
``send "flush xxx"'' command. Applications can
tell that the ``flush'' has completed by renaming
the file before issuing the command; buffchan has
completed the command when the original filename
re-appears. If <$ac_cv_func_fchmod in con
fig.cache> is ``yes'', then buffchan also changes
the access permissions of the file from read-only
for everyone to read-write for owner and group as
it flushes or closes each output file. It will
change the modes back to read-only if it re-opens
the same file.
drop The ``drop'' command is similar to the ``flush''
command except that any files are not re-opened.
If given an argument, then the specified site is
dropped, otherwise all sites are dropped. (Note
that the site will be restarted if the input stream
mentions the site.) When a ctlinnd ``drop site''
command is sent, innd will automatically forward
the command to buffchan if the site is a funnel
that feeds into this exploder. To drop all sites,
use the ctlinnd ``send buffchan-site drop'' com
mand.
The map file (specified with the ``-m'' flag) is
reloaded.
HISTORY
Written by Rich $alz <rsalz@uunet.uu.net> for InterNet
News. This is revision 1.6.6.1, dated 2000/08/17.
SEE ALSO
ctlinnd(8), filechan(8), inn.conf(5), innd(8), news
feeds(5).
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