NAME

       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 certain 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.  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 all files will be flushed every n seconds.

       -r     By default, the program sets  its  standard  error  to  /var/log/news/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
              /var/spool/news/out.going/%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 newsfeeds(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
              specified 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.

              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'' command.

       readmap
              The map file (specified with the ``-m'' flag) is reloaded.

HISTORY

       Written by Rich $alz <rsalz@uunet.uu.net> for InterNetNews.  This is revision 1.11, dated 1996/10/29.

SEE ALSO

       ctlinnd(8), filechan(8), innd(8), newsfeeds(5).

                                                                                                     BUFFCHAN(8)