Xref: utzoo comp.mail.misc:1051 news.sysadmin:774
Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!rutgers!mit-eddie!husc6!mailrus!ames!elan!jlo
From: jlo@elan.UUCP (Jeff Lo)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.misc,news.sysadmin
Subject: Re: My script for mapfiles/pathalias updating
Keywords: pathalias, maps, update, script
Message-ID: <320@elan.UUCP>
Date: 27 Jun 88 16:34:06 GMT
References: <957@flatline.UUCP>
Reply-To: jlo@elan.UUCP (Jeff Lo)
Organization: Elan Computer Group, Inc., Palo Alto, CA
Lines: 22

In article <957@flatline.UUCP> erict@flatline.UUCP (j eric townsend) writes:
># This pulls the maps from their spool/news directory, cleans them
># up, and puts them into the map directory...
># LastCheck is an empty file that I use as a date-keeper for the
># last time the spool directory was checked for new maps.
>
>touch /usr/lib/mail/maps/LastCheck
>
>Anyone who thinks they can do this better, please post your script.

Your script is very similar to the one I use here, the major difference
being that I keep two time stamp files.  I touch one (the new time stamp)
*before* I start extracting the maps, then use "-newer" on the other one (the
old time stamp).  When I am done, I move the new time stamp to the old one.
This way, if news happens to be coming in while I am extracting the maps
there is no race between find and rnews.  Better to get a map twice than
not at all.
-- 
Jeff Lo
..!{ames,hplabs}!elan!jlo
Elan Computer Group, Inc.
(415) 322-2450