[HECnet] The Bridge

[Mark Benson]

On 20 Nov 2011, at 13:02, Johnny Billquist wrote:

While we are talking about improvements, would it be possible to make it search a few default locations on Linux/BSD for a config file? Currently you have to start it by cd-ing to the directory the   binary is in as it looks at the current directory for the config file - if you start it from another place if fails.

Perhaps looking in /etc/hecnet or another place you can specify at compile time would be better?

That is easy. Just change the source before compiling, and there you have it. Definitely a compile time thingy, and extremely easy to "fix".

If you could make it a compile-time switch for make it would be very-much nicer :) just something like 'CONFIG_FILE=/etc/hecnet' or something with a commonly usable default value in case you forget to specify it or don't want to change it. 

Also would it be difficult or counter-productive to roll the Port configuration into the config file instead of having to specify it at runtime?

If you don't want it on the command line, you can just assign it in the code as a constant. Very easy. :-)

That's easy for you to say, you're a coder. I don't code C at all and wouldn't know where to start, so if anyone else fancies na 'easy' challenge then make it so :)

I wouldn't want the port number hardcoded as it's configurable for a reason (it's a good thing), so it would be nice to have it read from the config file instead of having to remember it on the command-line. 

Lastly does anyone know how to roll a init.d script for it to set it as a service in Debian/Ubuntu (10.04)?

Not sure which variant of init debian uses offhand, but in general you just write a small shellscript that don't do much more than just run the command line the same way you do by hand. Grab some other simple service and copy the startup, and then change the command line.
It's ridiculously simple.

That I might be able to do. I'll look into it while I'm working out how to make one for SimH. Again though it's something I've not played with so some helping hands along thew way would be nice ;)

I am going to have to try and write up tutorials for building the VAX and PDP-11 machines I have running as there isn't an up-to-date and comprehensive tutorial for either, aside from Phil Werry's which is dated a little and very hard to read as it's very long and not broken up at all.

-- 

Mark Benson

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Twitter: @DECtecInfo
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