[ale] quick oddball questions

[Peter N. Wan]

On Oct 10, 11:29am, Brad Dixon wrote:
} Subject: [ale] quick oddball questions
} ...
} 2) I heard a rumor that there is an ftp filesystem that I can use to 
} mount a remote ftp site like an actual directory. If this isn't bunk, 
} does anyone have a name and/or location?

Hi Brad, you are probably referring to the CMU Alex system.  Here is
some info on it, don't know if it will work on Linux (this is an old
posting):
-- 

Alex is a user level NFS server that provides users and applications
transparent read access to files in anonymous FTP sites on the Internet.
Because it is user level it is not too hard to install.  Because it looks
like an NFS server other machines can mount the server as soon as you
bring it up.

In Alex the hostname becomes part of a normal filename.  For example:

              ftp://burgundy.nectar.cs.cmu.edu/src/README 

becomes       /alex/edu/cmu/cs/nectar/burgundy/src/README

With Alex you can do a "cd" to Berkeley, use "ghostscript" on some papers 
in Japan, "grep" through some files in Australia, run "xloadimage *.gif" 
in Germany, "lpr README" in Pittsburgh, "cat *.au > /dev/audio" in Finland,
etc.  You can use all of the commands and aliases you are used to on
internet FTP files.  Make symlinks to far off locations. :-)  Have
"makefiles" that can fetch new versions of software, etc.


The server caches files and directory information.  

**********************************************************************

To demo Alex, do the following as root:

mkdir /alex
mount -o timeo=30,retrans=300,rsize=1000,soft,intr alex.sp.cs.cmu.edu:/ /alex

You can then wander around under /alex (no need for root then).  Check out
/alex/edu/cmu/cs/sp/alex/links.  After this post the server will probably
be totally overloaded, so please quickly move on to setting up your own
server (last section below).

**********************************************************************

If you have xmosaic, check out the following:

   ftp://alex.sp.cs.cmu.edu/www/alex.html
   ftp://alex.sp.cs.cmu.edu/user/man-html/alexuser.html
   ftp://alex.sp.cs.cmu.edu/user/man-html/alexurl.html

If you have mounted Alex you can check out /alex/edu/cmu/cs/sp/alex

If you do not have xmosaic, you should.  :-)  But you can go to
ftp://alex.sp.cs.cmu.edu/doc and look at README, NIR.Tool, or intro.ps

**********************************************************************
Installing an Alex server (as root).
**********************************************************************

1)   To install an Alex server on a Unix machine that does not export 
     any NFS files, create a new user with the id "alexsrvr".  Best if 
     there is lots of disk space (nice to have 1 GB or more but 50 MB 
     can work ok).

2)   Then, as root (after doing the mount above), simply type:
 
     csh -f /alex/edu/cmu/cs/sp/alex/src/getalex

After this finishes (copies the source, expands it, compiles it, installs
it, and starts things up in a total of 5 to 10 minutes) you should have a
fileserver installed and running on your machine.  


**********************************************************************
Installing an Alex server (less-root)
**********************************************************************

1)   Make the user "alexsrvr" on a machine that does not export any NFS 
     files.  

2)   If you have not run the above "mount" command on this machine do
     so now.

3)   While running as "alexsrvr" do the following:

          cd /alex/edu/cmu/cs/sp/alex/src/alexsrvr/src
          make alllinks

     This will make symlinks to the source under /usr/alexsrvr and then
     go there and do a "make".  You can look at things under /usr/alexsrvr
     when it has finished.

4)   As root run:

           /usr/alexsrvr/bin/start.alex

**********************************************************************
Old fashon way to install
**********************************************************************

If "getalex" does not work, or you do not want to compile right off
you can do a more manual approach by looking at
ftp://alex.sp.cs.cmu.edu/src/README    This will tell you how to
use the alex.tar.Z file.

**********************************************************************
Once a local server has been set up other machines at your site can do a
"mountalex" to mount your server and then use /alex.

**********************************************************************
Anyone is welcome to save/post a copy of this message/file anyplace.

**********************************************************************

  -- Vince
     vac at cs.cmu.edu

**********************************************************************

Master copy of this file: /alex/edu/cmu/cs/sp/alex/doc/alex.post


-- 
Peter N. Wan (peter.wan at cc.gatech.edu)  Georgia Institute of Technology
Computing and Networking Services       Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0280
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Peter N. Wan