rsync 2.5.5 port to Novell NetWare

[Rick Moen]

Hullo, all.  I diligently consulted the suggested reading on the way in:

> Welcome to the rsync at lists.samba.org mailing list! PLEASE READ THIS
> IMPORTANT ETIQUETTE MESSAGE BEFORE POSTING:
> http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

'Twas a quick read, given that I'm the co-author.  ;->

I recently received an odd inquiry from someone I didn't know at all,
posting to me in private mail from an IT concern in South Africa.  He
had heard mention of an rsync port to Novell NetWare, i.e., implemented
as a NetWare Loadable Module (NLM), which can thus run as a network
daemon on NetWare servers, and as such is bundled with a Novell-produced
hardware appliance.  The fellow wanted to know if Novell was obliged
under the GNU GPL to provide him (1) binaries, (2) source code, or (3)
both.

I took the time to explain matters to him, and suggest that Novell would
likely be delighted to send him at least the NLM binary, if he could
find the correct person to ask.

He did so, they complied, and moreover he lofted a copy over of the
furnished files over to me.  Index entry from my machine's public files
collection, in http://linuxmafia.com/pub/netware/ (where they are _now_ 
available), should say it all:

  117367 Dec  3 00:47 rsync-netware-nlm-2.5.5.tar.gz

  This is a pair of Novell Netware NLM compiled-binary executables for
  the rsync utility (the main daemon and a semaphore-based rsync-service
  stopping utility), with a sample configuration file, welcome-text file,
  and scripts to run the two NLMs.  This is a port to NetWare of rsync v.
  2.5.5, provided by Novell South Africa to a customer, who e-mailed them
  to me.  He says they are included on Novell's Nterprise Branch Office CD
  #2.  I believe all the code to be lawfully redistributable and subject
  to the GNU GPL.  I have no idea where the matching source code can be
  found.

I personally have no current use for those files, but figure anyone
who should be told is probably on this mailing list.

If Novell's interest in this matter comes as a surprise to people,
please be aware that recent NetWare versions have included quite a bit
of open-source software, including XFree86 on the local server
console(!).  Very likely, anyone interested in receiving copies of their
patches can achieve success by _politely and patiently_ asking, bearing
in mind that they will undoubtedly be very unaccustomed to such queries,
and you may have to try several times to reach the correct person.

Once again, I have no business relationship to any of the parties in
this matter:  The whole affair dropped in my lap out of the blue
Johannesburg skies, and I'm posting here purely pro bono publico.  I'll 
probably be obliged to answer "I don't know" to most of the obvious
questions.

-- 
Cheers,              A good man has few enemies; a ruthless man has none.
Rick Moen                                       
rick at linuxmafia.com