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)