1MOD-ACTIVE(8) InterNetNews Documentation MOD-ACTIVE(8)
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6 mod-active - Batch processing of newsgroups creation and removal
7 commands
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10 mod-active [ctlinnd-command-file ...]
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13 mod-active is a Perl script that updates the active file based on its
14 input lines of ctlinnd "newgroup", "rmgroup" and "changegroup"
15 commands. It pauses the server briefly while the existing active file
16 is read and rewritten, which not only keeps innd from updating the
17 active file but also locks against other instances of mod-active.
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19 The script must be run as the news user.
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21 The input to mod-active can come either from one or more ctlinnd-
22 command-file files named on the command line, or from the standard
23 input. Typically its input is the output from the docheckgroups or
24 actsync commands. Every line which contains the string "ctlinnd
25 newgroup", "ctlinnd rmgroup", or "ctlinnd changegroup", optionally
26 preceded by whitespace and/or the path to ctlinnd, is noted for the
27 update. Redundant commands, such as a newgroup directive for a group
28 that already exists, are silently ignored. All other lines in the
29 input are also silently ignored. After the new active file has been
30 generated, the existing one is renamed to active.old and the new one is
31 moved into place. The script then displays the differences between the
32 two files. Any groups that were added to the active file are also
33 added to the active.times file with the string "checkgroups-update".
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35 Please note that no syntax checking is performed on group names by mod-
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39 Though innd is paused while mod-active works, it is not inconceivable
40 that there could be a conflict if something else tries to update the
41 active file during the relatively short time that mod-active is
42 working. The two most realistic ways for this to happen are either by
43 an administrator concurrently doing a manual ctlinnd command, or by
44 innd receiving a control message, then mod-active pausing the server,
45 then the control message handler script that innd forked running its
46 own ctlinnd command while mod-active is working. Note that such
47 scenarios are very unlikely to happen.
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50 Written by David C Lawrence <tale@isc.org> for InterNetNews. Converted
51 to POD by Julien Elie.
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54 active(5), active.times(5), actsync(8), ctlinnd(8), docheckgroups(8),
55 innd(8).
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59INN 2.7.0 2022-07-10 MOD-ACTIVE(8)