Gary Paveza ([log in to unmask]) wrote:
> In our shop we are attempting to keep a statistics database which
> contains information on users.  Information collected will include
> UserName, Account, CPU Time and Wall Time.
>
> Putting the data once collected into a database is no problem, but we
> are having trouble deciding on how to best collect the data.
...
 
Reminds me of my experience getting into UN*X after 10+ years in MPE.  I
sent a UN*X listserv a message which said, basically:
 
"How can I keep track of logon time, CPU time, by user and account.  The HP
3000 has a simple command named :REPORT that does this.  Am I going to
have to sample the system from time to time and accumulate statistics?  It
seems strange not to have such a basic function built into the system."
 
...
<< flame on >>
P. S. I ended up learning PERL so that I could write the script that did
what I needed on the UN*X box.  When we get 5.0 up, I plan to start using
PERL on the HP 3000 as well.  If I can find something for which it is
actually needed there.
 
I've learned since that UN*X is not really an operating system.  It's a
religious cult based on rationalizing a pantheon of irreconcilable
concepts.  The ultimate anthropormism: Each person creates a set of gods,
some of which may be views of other peoples' gods, which reflect that
person's desires for how the world should work.  One must continually
advance to new levels of knowledge, merely to survive.  It is a great way
to interface with the Internet, but I'd think very carefully before basing
critical applications on such a foundation.
 
MPE, on the other hand, is a real operating system that _wants_ to do
productive work and will often do the right thing by default.  If it
doesn't do what I expected, I take another look to see if I erred in my
expectations.  Exceptions like ^A=logoff and the (now fixed) result of
logging in as MANAGER.SYS and saying ":LISTUSER @.@ LP", are just that:
exceptions.
 
<< flame off >>
 
One note: The REPORT command does not keep track of users as such, but
file groups.  This is, I presume, based on the assumption that what
you're trying to track is where your resources are going -- not the
individual people.  It has always worked well for us.  Any advantage to
tracking things by individual user hasn't been worth digesting all those
system log files.
--
         /\--.      John A. Beckett             "It is Satan's work to
        /  \  )     Southern College of SDA      discourage the soul;
       /----\---.   (615) 238-2701 voice         it is Christ's work
  \   /      \   \  238-2431 FAX                 to inspire with
   `-'        `--'  [log in to unmask]        faith and hope." DA249