biff(1)                                                   biff(1)



NAME
     biff - enables and disables notification of mail by comsat

SYNOPSIS
     biff [switch]

ARGUMENTS
     switch
          Sets the state of biff.  If switch is y, mail
          notification is enabled. If switch is n, mail
          notification is disabled.  If you do not use a switch
          argument, biff displays:

             is y

          for enabled, and:

             is n

          for disabled.

DESCRIPTION
     biff changes the permission bits of your terminal device to
     enable or disable mail notification by the comsat server.
     When the execution bit is set for the owner of the terminal
     device, mail notification is enabled. When the execution bit
     is not set, comsat does not notify you when new mail
     arrives.

     The best place to include a command to enable biff is in
     your .login file so that the command is executed each time
     you log in.

     When mail arrives, comsat displays the From:, Subject:, To:,
     and Date: lines from the mail header and the first few lines
     of the message on your screen.

     For other mail notification methods, see the mail-related
     environment variables supported by sh, csh, and ksh.

FILES
     /usr/ucb/biff
          Executable file

SEE ALSO
     csh(1), ksh(1), mail(1), sh(1)

     comsat(1M) in A/UX System Administrator's Reference







January 1992                                                    1