Re: flexfax: faxsetup on Linux (bug in moduser?)

[Nico Garcia <raoul@cirl.meei.harvard.edu>]

On Sun, 9 Nov 1997 Matthias.Apitz@SOFTCON.de wrote:

> I'm checking the faxsetup(1M) on Linux (to detect any problems
> and see if it works reliable). For some unknown reason my Linux
> box (S.u.S.E.) is shipped with a user "fax" in /etc/passwd and
> HylaFAX's faxsetup(1M) wants to modify this ("fax" must have
> the same uid as "uucp"). But it seems that there is a bug
> in the usermod(1M) command. It complains about the existing
> (new) HOME of "fax" with exit code 12 but the change is done
> in the /etc/passwd file. A workaround could be running the command
> twice 'cuze it exits with 0 for the 2nd change which has
> nothing to do anymore. Any comments from the Linux gurus?

I think the problem is slightly different flavors of Linux have
slightly different flavors of the adduser or usermod or whatever
command. I think this is a completely reasonable workaround.  Some use
passmgmt, some use useradd, some use adduser, etc.

> BTW: The usermod(1M) wants the flag "-m" after the "-d home"
> while the original faxsetup script in pl1 has the "-m" as the
> first parameter. This can easy be fixed in the script faxsetup.linux
> (or should be fixed in faxsetup at all).

faxsetup.linux would be the place to do it, I think.
> All other things in faxsetup(1M) work without any kind of problems.
> The faxq(1M) is up and the hfaxd(1M) starts on connects via
> the inetd(1M):

I thought most of us were using the boot-time script to start faxq and
hfaxd as background daemons. Is the inetd.conf technique now
considered reliable enough for general use on low-volume sites?

			Nico Garcia
			Engineer, CIRL 
			Mass. Eye and Ear Infirmary
			raoul@cirl.meei.harvard.edu