Thread View: comp.infosystems
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Started by Vincent.Cate
Wed, 19 Jan 1994 20:17
Alex - NFS/FTP Filesystems
Author: Vincent.Cate
Date: Wed, 19 Jan 1994 20:17
Date: Wed, 19 Jan 1994 20:17
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Alex is a user level NFS server that provides users and applications
transparent read access to files in anonymous FTP sites on the Internet.
Because it is user level it is not too hard to install. Because it looks
like an NFS server other machines can mount the server as soon as you
bring it up.
In Alex the hostname becomes part of a normal filename. For example:
ftp://burgundy.nectar.cs.cmu.edu/src/README
becomes /alex/edu/cmu/cs/nectar/burgundy/src/README
With Alex you can do a "cd" to Berkeley, use "ghostscript" on some papers
in Japan, "grep" through some files in Australia, run "xloadimage *.gif"
in Germany, "lpr README" in Pittsburgh, "cat *.au > /dev/audio" in Finland,
etc. You can use all of the commands and aliases you are used to on
internet FTP files. Make symlinks to far off locations. :-) Have
"makefiles" that can fetch new versions of software, etc.
The server caches files and directory information.
**********************************************************************
To demo Alex, as root do the following:
mkdir /alex
mount -o timeo=30,retrans=300,rsize=1000,soft,intr alex.sp.cs.cmu.edu:/ /alex
You can then wander around under /alex. Check out
/alex/edu/cmu/cs/sp/alex/links. After this post the server will probably
be totally overloaded, so please quickly move on to setting up your own
server (last section below).
**********************************************************************
If you have xmosaic, check out:
ftp://alex.sp.cs.cmu.edu/www/alex.html
or /alex/edu/cmu/cs/sp/alex/www/alex.html if you mounted Alex.
If you do not have xmosaic, you should. :-) But you can go to
ftp://alex.sp.cs.cmu.edu/doc and look at README, NIR.Tool, or intro.ps
**********************************************************************
Installing an Alex server.
**********************************************************************
To install an Alex server on a Unix machine that does not export any NFS
files, create a new user with the id "alexsrvr". Best if there is lots of
disk space (nice to have 1 GB or more but 50 MB can work ok).
Then, as root (after doing the mount above), simply type:
csh /alex/edu/cmu/cs/sp/alex/src/getalex
After this finishes (copies the source, expands it, compiles it, installs
it, and starts things up in a total of 5 to 10 minutes) you should have a
fileserver installed and running on your machine. However, if "getalex"
does not work, you can do a more manual approach by looking at
ftp://alex.sp.cs.cmu.edu/src/README
Once a local server has been set up other machines at your site can do a
"mountalex" to mount your server and then use /alex.
**********************************************************************
-- Vince
vac@cs.cmu.edu
**********************************************************************
Master copy of this file: /alex/edu/cmu/cs/sp/alex/doc/post
Re: Alex - NFS/FTP Filesystems
Author: Lyndon Nerenberg
Date: Sun, 23 Jan 1994 03:24
Date: Sun, 23 Jan 1994 03:24
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Vincent.Cate@cs.cmu.edu writes: >Then, as root (after doing the mount above), simply type: >csh /alex/edu/cmu/cs/sp/alex/src/getalex Do this only if you are a complete loon! Nobody in their right mind is going to execute an unknown program as root on their own machine. (are they?) --lyndon
Re: Alex - NFS/FTP Filesystems
Author: Icarus Sparry
Date: Mon, 24 Jan 1994 10:34
Date: Mon, 24 Jan 1994 10:34
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In the referenced article, lyndon@unbc.edu (Lyndon Nerenberg) writes: >Vincent.Cate@cs.cmu.edu writes: > >>Then, as root (after doing the mount above), simply type: > >>csh /alex/edu/cmu/cs/sp/alex/src/getalex > >Do this only if you are a complete loon! Nobody in their right mind is >going to execute an unknown program as root on their own machine. (are they?) > >--lyndon Well, you could actually read the script, and see what it is doing. In this case it tests to see that it is running as the correct User Id, makes sure that the alex filesystem is up-to-date, and then unpacks a tar file. It then compiles the code. Yes people should look to see what they are doing, but there is no reason to be concerned in this particular case. UK academic institutions are invited to mount our alex service - send me email for details.
Re: Alex - NFS/FTP Filesystems
Author: Chris Varner
Date: Mon, 24 Jan 1994 19:59
Date: Mon, 24 Jan 1994 19:59
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>Then, as root (after doing the mount above), simply type: >csh /alex/edu/cmu/cs/sp/alex/src/getalex lyndon> Do this only if you are a complete loon! Nobody in their right mind is lyndon> going to execute an unknown program as root on their own machine. (are lyndon> they?) The bright side is that it doesn't work anyway -- actually doesn't have a _prayer_ of working; and no, I copied it rather than executing it.. :-)
Re: Alex - NFS/FTP Filesystems
Author: Vincent.Cate
Date: Wed, 26 Jan 1994 21:36
Date: Wed, 26 Jan 1994 21:36
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cdvarn@m003.mystech.com (Chris Varner) wrot: >The bright side is that it doesn't work anyway -- actually doesn't have a >_prayer_ of working; and no, I copied it rather than executing it.. :-) I sent him email asking why he would say "it doesn't have a prayer of working" and he idicated I missunderstood the meaning of his post. What he means (in case anyone else was confused also) is that everyone probably looks at the script before they run it. I expect that is true. I agree that running some script off the net as root without knowing anything about the person or looking at the script is a dangerous thing. In any case, let me assure people that for many machine types it really is possible to just run a script and set up a new fileserver that gives you access to FTP files. -- Vince
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