rcorder(8)

NAME

rcorder - print a dependency ordering of interdependent

files

SYNOPSIS

rcorder [-k keep] [-s skip] file ...

DESCRIPTION

The rcorder utility is designed to print out a dependency

ordering of a
set of interdependent files. Typically it is used to find

an execution
sequence for a set of shell scripts in which certain files

must be executed before others.

Each file passed to rcorder must be annotated with special

lines (which
look like comments to the shell) which indicate the depen

dencies the
files have upon certain points in the sequence, known as

``conditions'',
and which indicate, for each file, which ``conditions'' may

be expected
to be filled by that file.

Within each file, a block containing a series of ``RE

QUIRE'',
``PROVIDE'', ``BEFORE'' and ``KEYWORD'' lines must appear.

The format of
the lines is rigid. Each line must begin with a single `#',

followed by
a single space, followed by ``PROVIDE:'', ``REQUIRE:'',

``BEFORE:'', or
``KEYWORD:''. No deviation is permitted. Each dependency

line is then
followed by a series of conditions, separated by whitespace.

Multiple
``PROVIDE'', ``REQUIRE'', ``BEFORE'' and ``KEYWORD'' lines

may appear,
but all such lines must appear in a sequence without any in

tervening
lines, as once a line that does not follow the format is

reached, parsing
stops.

The options are as follows:

-k Add the specified keyword to the ``keep list''. If

any -k option

is given, only those files containing the matching

keyword are
listed.

-s Add the specified keyword to the ``skip list''. If

any -s option

is given, files containing the matching keyword are

not listed.

An example block follows:

# REQUIRE: networking syslog
# REQUIRE: usr
# PROVIDE: dns nscd

This block states that the file in which it appears depends

upon the
``networking'', ``syslog'', and ``usr'' conditions, and pro

vides the
``dns'' and ``nscd'' conditions.

A file may contain zero ``PROVIDE'' lines, in which case it

provides no
conditions, and may contain zero ``REQUIRE'' lines, in which

case it has
no dependencies. There must be at least one file with no

dependencies in
the set of arguments passed to rcorder in order for it to

find a starting
place in the dependency ordering.

DIAGNOSTICS

The rcorder utility may print one of the following error

messages and
exit with a non-zero status if it encounters an error while

processing
the file list.

Requirement %s has no providers, aborting. No file has a

``PROVIDE''
line corresponding to a condition present in a ``REQUIRE''

line in
another file.

Circular dependency on provision %s, aborting. A set of

files has a circular dependency which was detected while processing the

stated condition.

Circular dependency on file %s, aborting. A set of files

has a circular
dependency which was detected while processing the stated

file.

SEE ALSO

rc(8)

HISTORY

The rcorder utility first appeared in NetBSD 1.5.

AUTHORS

Written by Perry E. Metzger <perry@piermont.com> and Matthew

R. Green
<mrg@eterna.com.au>.

BSD July 17, 2000

BSD