@ub and @cb issues - an idea

[Jay R. Ashworth]

On Wed, Apr 21, 2004 at 10:56:13AM -0500, Steve Wiltsie wrote:
> I think all this discussion and concern over the user ID's used by filePro
> on Unix and Unix-like OSes emphasizes a Wish List suggestion I made some
> time ago.  I think there should be a Configuration File type of list that
> holds the filePro user names and numbers used for @CB and @UB.  This would
> then allow those system variables to be used in Windows versions as well and
> would help to prevent the kind of problems being related in these recent
> e-mails.  It could even be copied from one system to another as
> installations upgrade to new Unix or other systems.

Nope.

*My*, what a horrible idea that is, from a system administration
standpoint.  *Another* file I gotta maintain?  And modify all my
adduser machinery to deal with?  (Most of which I *can't*, cause it's
binaries?)

> I'm sure there will be several reasons others will submit as to why this is
> a bad idea.  But I know my customers that are using the Windows version of
> filePro would really like to be able to have those system variables
> available to them as they are in the Unix versions.  Maybe there could be an
> FP environment variable for the Unix versions that could tell filePro
> whether to use the operating system file or the new section of the
> Configuration File to provide the user name based on the number that each
> record stores.

Actually, while your specific implementation has it's problems, it's
not *too* far from quite a supportable solution, which is merely to allow
the maintenance of a \etc\passwd file on Windows versions of filePro.
If one exists, use it to look up UIS's when necessary.

The only other thing which would be necessary then would be a way to
tell running dclerk and dreport's which user you are -- for which, of
coure, there isn't a standard solution, and which one you pick depends
on your windows network setup.

But at least this ditches the problem off on the people unfortunate
enough to (have to) run the operating system which doesn't already have
a solution for it.  :-)

Cheers,
-- jra
-- 
Jay R. Ashworth                                                jra at baylink.com
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        "They had engineers in my day, too."  -- Perry Vance Nelson