The UNIX finger service can be used to provide a form of user directory service. After you have installed the finger service, remote users will have the ability to query user profiles on your Virtual Server. User profiles include information such as full name, login name, home directory, as well as the contents of the .plan, .project, or .forward files. The .plan, .project, and .forward files must be located in each of your users home directories (if they exist).

Installing the Finger Service

To install the finger service, simply connect to your Virtual Server using Telnet and type the following commands:

1. cd and hit return     (this will put you in your home directory)
2. then type tar -xvf /usr/local/contrib/finger.tar

After you have installed finger on your Virtual Server you can perform queries using any finger client.

Using a Finger Client

In order for remote users to query the finger service on your Virtual Server, they will need to use a finger client. A finger client is included with the standard distribution of most UNIX operating systems. Finger clients for the Macintosh and Microsoft Windows operating systems are available by searching the major shareware archives.