mpoold(8)

NAME
mpoold - outgoing modem line access daemon

SYNOPSIS
mpoold [-a -ip-address] [-p -tcp-port] [pool-spec]

DESCRIPTION
Mpoold is run at boot time out of /etc/rc.local if modems are attached to the system and public dial-out access to those modems is desired. Mpoold listens on port 25 or the port address specified by the -p flag for incoming TCP/IP connections. If the -a flag is specified, mpoold listens only on the interface associated with the specified address; otherwise, mpoold listens on all interfaces.

Mpoold learns what modems are available to it by looking in modemcap(8), by default in the ``modem-pool'' record. The name of a different record to search can be specified on the command line.

When mpoold accepts a connection, it scans the list of modems given in modemcap(8) attempting to acquire a lock on one of these modems. When a lock has been acquired, mpoold attaches the incoming connection to the modem. The modem is relinquished when the TCP/IP connection is closed by the remote host.

SECURITY
Mpoold should not be attached to modems which will be shared by getty(8) or similar programs, since it would be easy for an unscrupulous user to set up a trojan horse to answer the modem and collect passwords.

BUGS
mpoold(8) should not run ttyaction(3) on the tty with action ``modemd'', user ``root'', but it does anyway.

DIAGNOSTICS
See the documentation for Mpoold(8) logs all diagnostic and status messages via syslog(3), using the LOG_DAEMON facility code. See modemd(8) for documentation of modem initialization messages, which are common to both modemd(8) and mpoold(8.)

FILES
/etc/modemcap
    definitions which control the operation of mpoold(8) and mpoold(8).
/var/spool/lock/LCK..ttyname
    lock files compatible with uucico(8).
/dev
    assumed to contain all tty devices.

SEE ALSO
modemcap(5), mpoold(8), tip(1), uucico(8), getty(8), login(8).

AUTHOR
Modemcap(5), modemd(8), and mpoold(8) were written for RadioMail Corporation by Ted Lemon <mellon@vix.com> under a contract with Vixie Enterprises, and are collectively based on mgetty, a version of getty written by Paul Vixie <paul@vix.com> which understands how to talk to Hayes-compatible modems. Many of Paul's ideas for enhancements to mgetty are incorporated here, along with some of my own.