V9/ipc/README

The connection server is made up of a number of intertwined programs.
These programs are roughly divided into three groups:
1) Managers (/usr/ipc/mgrs/*) -- These are non-terminating programs started
   by /etc/rc.  One group consists of dialers that listen for and place calls on 
   particular networks (dkmgr, tcpmgr, tpcmgr, udpmgr).  The next group are
   programs used to configure the different networks (dkhup, kdiload, ipconfig,
   dkipconfig, routed).  Finally is the service manager (svcmgr) that offers
   the standard user services such as login and program execution.
2) Commands (/usr/ipc/bin/*) -- These programs are run by users to perform
   network functions such as remote login and remote executions.
3) Servers (/usr/ipc/servers/*) -- These are programs started by `svcmgr'
   when called by a command on some other system (telnetd, Rpush, Rpull).
These programs have been shipped to all of our systems.

Connection service programs communicate using streams.  They rendezvous by
mounting onto files in the directory /cs.  A /cs has been shipped to all our
systems.  It is protected to be writable only by root and bin.  This ensures
that unprivileged users may not usurp rendezvous points.  A number of user
accessable moutn points (tcp.1024-tcp.1124) exist for use by telnet and ftp.

Configuration files are needed by `svcmgr' to know what services to
offer and for whom to offer them.  These are the files /usr/ipc/lib/auth,
/usr/ipc/lib/auth.local, /usr/ipc/lib/serv, and /usr/ipc/lib/serv.local.
/usr/ipc/lib/auth and /usr/ipc/lib/serv are shipped from bowell and contain
the base set of services and authentications.  The *.local files should NEVER
be shipped.  They take precedence over the base set and are used to configure
system peculiarities.