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Implementation Manual

@everyheading @thischapter @|@| Implementation Manual @thispage @everyfooting Author: rootd // Editor: dhinesh // Texinfo: rootd @|@|3 December 1994

The following several chapters consist of the implementation manual for the free archie project. Below is a brief description of each of the components. The next chapter (Archie Project Overall Design) has a sufficiently detaled description of how the whole project goes together. We follow that with detailed chapters on each module and interface specification.

Remember that the User manual is the specification of the archie project. It the implementation manual is incompatible with the user manual then there is an error in the implementation manual.

Here are the two types of archie servers:

1. Master Archie Server: Maintains the list of anonymous ftp sites for archie servers to index.
2. Archie Server: Allows users to request archie searches.

Master Archie Server

Archie Server

Archie Servers have the following components:

1. Interfaces
2. Queuer
3. Searcher
4. Database
5. Database Builder
6. ls -lR getter
7. Site list

Interfaces

The interface's purpose is to communicate with one remote user, collect search requests, submit search requests to the queuer, and return the output to the remote user. There are four types of interfaces: telnet interface, email interface, prospero interface, and next-generation interface.

Queuer

The queuer's job is to queue search requests from many users, submit them one at a time to the searcher, and inform the interface when the search is complete.

Searcher

The searcher's job is to search the database for the requested information as fast as possible. Thanks to the queuer and the interfaces, the searcher only has to deal with one search at a time.

Database

The database is a collection of files and directories that are designed to make the searcher's job as fast and easy as possible.

Database Builder

The database builder builds the database out of "ls -lR"'s that the ls -lR getter obtains from anonymous ftp sites.

ls -lR Getter

The ls -lR getter anonymously ftp's to ftp sites and executes the ls -lR command to obtain the listing of that site.

Site List

This is a list of ftp sites which need to be indexed by each archie server. It is made available via anonymous-ftp from the master archie server, and needs to be obtained manually by the administrator of each archie server. This allows the local archie server administrator to customize the file for their own site.

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