fingerd(1M)                                                        fingerd(1M)



NAME
     fingerd - remote user information server

SYNOPSIS
     /usr/etc/fingerd [-l] [-L] [-S] [-f msg-file]

DESCRIPTION
     fingerd is a simple protocol based on RFC742 that provides an interface
     to the finger program at several network sites.  The program is supposed
     to return a friendly, human-oriented status report on a particular
     person.  There is no required format, and the protocol consists mostly of
     specifying a single ``command line.''

     fingerd listens for TCP requests at port 79.  Once connected, it reads a
     single line terminated by a <CRLF> and passes the first three words on
     the line as arguments to finger(1).  fingerd closes its connection as
     soon as the output is finished.  It can be invoked at a remote site using
     the finger command by finger user@remote or finger @remote.

     The options to fingerd are:

     -l   Causes fingerd to log all finger requests via syslog.

     -L   Causes fingerd to only allow displaying of information on the local
          system.  This disallows chaining finger requests.

     -S   Causes fingerd to suppress information about login status, home
          directory, and shell, which might be used to attack security.

     -f   Causes fingerd to display the contents of the specified message file
          only; no user information is returned.

     Edit the fingerd entry in inetd.conf to enable an option.

SEE ALSO
     finger(1), inetd(1M), syslogd(1M), telnet(1C).

BUGS
     Connecting directly to the server from a TIP or an equally narrow-minded
     TELNET-protocol user program can result in meaningless attempts at option
     negotiation being sent to the server, which fouls up the command-line
     interpretation.  fingerd should be taught to filter out IACs and perhaps
     even respond negatively (IAC WON'T) to all option commands received.












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