fingerd(8) - NetBSD Manual Pages

FINGERD(8)              NetBSD System Manager's Manual              FINGERD(8)


NAME

     fingerd - remote user information server


SYNOPSIS

     fingerd [-s] [-l] [-u] [-h] [-m] [-p] [-S] [-g] [-P filename]


DESCRIPTION

     fingerd is a simple protocol based on RFC1196 that provides an interface
     to the Name and Finger programs at several network sites.  The program is
     supposed to return a friendly, human-oriented status report on either the
     system at the moment or a particular person in depth.  There is no re-
     quired format and the protocol consists mostly of specifying a single
     ``command line''.

     fingerd is started by inetd(8), which listens for TCP requests at port
     79.  Once handed a connection, fingerd reads a single command line termi-
     nated by a <CRLF> which it then passes to finger(1).  fingerd closes its
     connections as soon as the output is finished.

     If the line is null (i.e. just a <CRLF> is sent) then finger(1) returns a
     ``default'' report that lists all people logged into the system at that
     moment.

     If a user name is specified (e.g.  eric<CRLF>) then the response lists
     more extended information for only that particular user, whether logged
     in or not.  Allowable ``names'' in the command line include both ``login
     names'' and ``user names''.  If a name is ambiguous, all possible deriva-
     tions are returned.

     The following options may be passed to fingerd as server program argu-
     ments in /etc/inetd.conf:

     -s      Disable forwarding of queries to other remote hosts.

     -l      Enable logging.  The name of the host originating the query, and
             the actual request is reported via syslog(3) at LOG_NOTICE prior-
             ity.  A request of the form `\W' and `\w' will return long out-
             put.  Empty requests will return all currently logged in users.
             All other requests look for specific users.  See RFC1196 for de-
             tails.

     -u      Queries without a user name are rejected.

     -h      Display the name of the remote host in short mode, instead of the
             office location and office phone.

     -m      Prevent matching of user names.  User is usually a login name;
             however, matching will also be done on the users' real names, un-
             less the -m option is supplied.

     -p      Prevents finger(1) from displaying the contents of the ``.plan''
             and ``.project'' files.

     -S      Prints user information in short mode, one line per user.  This
             overrides the ``Whois switch'' that may be passed in from the re-
             mote client.

     -g      Do not show any gecos information besides the users' real names.

     -P      Use an alternate program as the local information provider.  The
             default local program executed by fingerd is finger(1).  By spec-
             ifying a customized local server, this option allows a system
             manager to have more control over what information is provided to
             remote sites.


SEE ALSO

     finger(1), inetd(8)


BUGS

     Connecting directly to the server from a TIP or an equally narrow-minded
     TELNET-protocol user program can result in meaningless attempts at option
     negotiation being sent to the server, which will foul up the command line
     interpretation.  fingerd should be taught to filter out IAC's and perhaps
     even respond negatively (IAC WON'T) to all option commands received.


HISTORY

     The fingerd command appeared in 4.3BSD.

NetBSD 1.5                       June 4, 1993                                2