uutry Command

Purpose

Contacts a specified remote system with debugging turned on and allows the user to override the default retry time.

Syntax

uutry [  -xDebugLevel ] [  -r ] SystemName

Description

The uutry command contacts a remote system, specified by the SystemName parameter, using debugging mode. Debugging mode provides a means of monitoring Basic Networking Utilities (BNU) connections to remote computers and file transfers. The uutry command calls the uucico daemon to contact the remote system.

The debugging output is scrolled on the screen of the local system. Once the system has finished displaying this information, press the Interrupt key to return to the prompt.

The -r flag overrides the default retry time if the first attempt to contact the remote system is unsuccessful. The default retry time is 5 minutes.

The SystemName parameter, which is required, specifies the name of the remote system you wish to contact.

Requirement: Either you must be in the /usr/sbin/uucp directory when you issue the uutry command or you must issue the command with the full path name, /usr/sbin/uucp/uutry.
Tips:
  • The uutry command is a shell script stored in the /usr/lib/uucp directory.
  • If the debugging output scrolls too quickly to be read, use the Uutry command to save the output in a temporary file.

Flags

Item Description
-r Overrides the default retry time. If for some reason the uucico daemon cannot complete the requested connection, the daemon waits for a set amount of time and tries again. The default retry time is 5 minutes.
Note: The time at which the remote system was last polled is recorded in the SystemName file in the /var/spool/uucp/.Status directory.
-xDebugLevel Overrides the default amount of detail in the debugging information that the uutry command displays on the screen. The valid range for the DebugLevel variable is 0 to 9, with a default of 5. Higher numbers cause the final report to be more detailed. If the -x flag is not used, the uucico daemon is started with the default level, which produces a moderate amount of information.

Examples

  1. To change the amount of detail the uutry command provides about the progress of the uucico operation, use the -x flag to specify a different debugging level. For example, entering:

    /usr/sbin/uucp/uutry  -x9 venus

    instructs the uutry command to generate as much information as possible about the way in which the uucico daemon is working.

  2. The default time at which to retry a contact to a remote system when the first contact was unsuccessful is 5 minutes. To shorten the default retry time for contacting the remote system, enter:

    /usr/sbin/uucp/uutry  -r venus

    Using the -r flag instructs the uucico daemon to contact remote system venus, overriding the default retry time. The daemon attempts to contact system venus, retrying periodically until the connection is successful, and then produces debugging output on the display screen of the local system.

Files

Item Description
/usr/sbin/uucp/uutry Contains the uutry command.
/etc/uucp/Devices Contains information about available devices.
/etc/uucp/Dialcodes Contains dial-code abbreviations.
/etc/uucp/Dialers Specifies initial handshaking on a connection.
/etc/uucp/Permissions Describes access permissions for remote systems.
/etc/uucp/Systems Describes accessible remote systems.
/var/spool/uucp/.Status/SystemName Lists the last time the remote system named by the SystemName file was contacted.
/var/spool/uucppublic/* Contain the BNU public directories.