UUCP /etc/uucp/Sysfiles File

The /etc/uucp/Sysfiles file lets you assign different files to be used by uucp and cu as Systems, Devices, and Dialers files. (For more information on cu, see the cu(1C) man page.) You might want to use Sysfiles for:

• Different Systems files, so that requests for login services can be made to different addresses than uucp services.

• Different Dialers files, so that you can assign different handshaking for cu and uucp.

• Multiple Systems, Dialers, and Devices files. The Systems file in particular can become large, making it more convenient to split it into several smaller files.

The format of the Sysfiles file is:

service=w systems=x:x dialers=y:y devices=z:z 

w represents uucico, cu, or both separated by a colon. x represents one or more files to be used as the Systems file, with each file name separated by a colon and read in the order presented. y represents one or more files to be used as the Dialers file. z is one or more files to be used as the Devices file.

Each file name is assumed to be relative to the /etc/uucp directory, unless a full path is given.

The following sample, /etc/uucp/Sysfiles defines a local Systems file (Local_Systems) in addition to the standard /etc/uucp/Systems file:

service=uucico:cu systems=Systems :Local_Systems 

When this entry is in /etc/uucp/Sysfiles, both uucico and cu first check in the standard /etc/uucp/Systems. If the system they are trying to call doesn't have an entry in that file, or if the entries in the file fail, then they look in /etc/uucp/Local_Systems.

Given the previous entry, cu and uucico share the Dialers and Devices files.

When different Systems files are defined for uucico and cu services, your machine stores two different lists of Systems. You can print the uucico list using the uuname command or the cu list using the uuname -C command. Another example of the file, where the alternate files are consulted first and the default files are consulted in case of need is:

service=uucico systems=Systems.cico:Systems   
  dialers=Dialers.cico:Dialers \ 
devices=Devices.cico:Devices   
  service=cu systems=Systems.cu:Systems \ 
dialers=Dialers.cu:Dialers \   
  devices=Devices.cu:Devices