info-vax (05/11/82)
>From LECIN@GREEN Mon May 10 17:05:45 1982
System: 11/780
OS : VMS
Situation: I am unable to access the micro-fiche, and perhaps this
stuff isn't there to be found anyway!
When you log in, VMS tells you if you have mail. WHERE IS THIS
INFORMATION kept? I know that even if the user disk is dismounted,
and a users mail file unaccessible, it will STILL report the presence
of new mail. (I haven't got sources to MAIL here...)
I am wondering where this info is kept and whether or not the AVERAGE
unprivileged user process can GET this information. I am trying,
basically, to write the equivalent of DEC-20 EXEC's MAIL-CHECK
feature on VMS...
Any info at all to LECIN at RUTGERS.
[Mijjil]info-vax (05/11/82)
>From ROODE@SRI-KL Mon May 10 18:55:59 1982
The info is kept in the UAF file.
(!)
(on whether you have new mail and how many new messages there are.)
-------info-vax (05/12/82)
>From RWK@SCRC-TENEX@MIT-AI Wed May 12 01:50:46 1982
Date: 10 May 1982 19:54-EDT (Monday)
From: Mijjil (Matthew J. Lecin) <LECIN at GREEN>
I am wondering where this info is kept and whether or not the AVERAGE
unprivileged user process can GET this information. I am trying,
basically, to write the equivalent of DEC-20 EXEC's MAIL-CHECK
feature on VMS...
The stuff is on the fiche. There are MACRO and BLISS definitions for
the fields in the UAF, which is an indexed file of one index, indexed on
the username. It is a simple matter to write a program to access this
information. It's not very difficult to make it into a shareable
exec-mode routine which gives itself SYSPRV, opens the SYSUAF, and
returns this information. The documentation for this is in the "Real-Time
User's Guide" on priveledged sharable sections.
Unless your system manager is paranoid, you can run AUTHORIZE to create
yourself a UAF to use in testing your program. (Testing the part to
make it a CMEXEC routine is a bit harder, you'll probably need your
system manager's cooperation there...)
Then when it's debugged, give your system manager your program to be
INSTALLed, and ordinary non-priveledged users can link in your routine
with their ordinary program, and call your new routine, which is
essentially a user-added system call.
Or maybe you're lucky and your system manager does not deny read access
to the SYSUAF.
If this is too much work, you can write your MAIL-CHECK program, and
then have your system manager INSTALL it with the SYSPRV privelege.