Sendoprd is a daemon that queues and displays messages on the operator's terminal using xmessage(1). The user interface is the command sendopr(l).
Sendoprd will spool standard input as a unique file and then attempt to deliver all messages that have been spooled.
When the message has been spooled sendoprd will try to create an exclusive lock file called .busy. If the file already exits then there is an active daemon processing the queue --- this instance will exit. Otherwise, this instance processes the queue and finally removes the lock.
The strategy ensures that only one daemon delivers the spooled messages to the operator's console. This also means that messages are displayed and dealt with one at a time.
Options are usually not required.
All error messages are sent to syslog(3).
Sendoprd will not run if the busy lock exists.
Sendoprd assumes the operator's terminal is X-based.
The operator's Xresources should be configured to allow messages to be received, ie. xhost + should be set, and in the operator's .xdefaults file, there should be a line similar to:
Important.Geometry: 800x500+700+200
to indicate the size and location of the message window on the Xterminal.
Sendoprd does not wrap long lines around to the next line. If a sentence is longer than the window size, the end of the line is cut off.
After the operator reads the message, the "okay" from xmessage is echoed back the to the sender.
Hyman Wong and Reg Quinton, CCS, UWO.