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IPA(8)			     System Manager's Manual			  IPA(8)

NAME
     ipa -- utility for accounting

SYNOPSIS
     ipa -h|v

     ipa [-c dir] [-u user] [-g group] [-p pid_file] -k signal

     ipa [-c dir] [-u user] [-g group] [-f conf_file] -t [-t]

     ipa [-d] [-c dir] [-u user] [-g group] [-f conf_file] [-p pid_file]
	 [-o log_file] [-i log_ident]

     ipa -x [-c dir] [-u user] [-g group] [-f conf_file]
	 [-r rule [-l limit [-s sublimit]|-t threshold]]
	 section [subsection]

DESCRIPTION
     IPA  is the ``Pluggable Accounting System''.  The IPA distribution consists
     of three utilities for general purpose accounting: ipa, ipactl and ipastat.
     Each of these utilities is described on its own manual page.

     ipa is an utility for accounting.	The ipa.conf(5) manual	page  gives  the
     complete description how to configure ipa and describes all its features.

     ipa  periodically	takes  statistics from IPA accounting modules and passes
     this statistics to IPA  database  modules	according  to  settings  in  the
     ipa.conf(5)  configuration  file.	It is possible to use several accounting
     systems and databases at once.

     Available options are:

     -c dir Set the directory ipa should chroot(2) into immediately, the  direc-
	    tory  should  be given with absolute path.	The working directory is
	    not changed.

     -d     Do not run in the background.  If log-file is  used,  then	all  log
	    messages  are  sent  to  standard error output (stderr) as well.  If
	    syslog is used, then log messages are copied to stderr only on  some
	    systems.  This option is useful for debugging.

     -f conf_file
	    Use  the  given configuration file instead of using the default con-
	    figuration file, the configuration file name should  be  given  with
	    absolute pathname.

     -i log_ident
	    Use the given log-ident (the default log-ident is ``ipa'').

     -k signal
	    Send  a  signal  to  the  running copy of ipa.  Valid arguments are:
	    shutdown (send a SIGTERM signal), reconfigure (send  a  SIGHUP  sig-
	    nal),  kill  (send a SIGKILL signal), test (test whether PID-file is
	    locked, no signal is sent).  The PID of the running copy is taken as
	    the PID of the process which has the exclusive lock on  a  PID-file.
	    No signal will be sent if a PID-file is not exclusively locked.

     -o log_file
	    Write  log	messages  to the given log-file instead of using syslog.
	    This file can be safely removed while ipa is  running,  it	will  be
	    recreated.	This feature helps to make logs rotating.

     -p pid_file
	    Use  the given PID-file instead of using default PID-file.	This op-
	    tion allows to start some copies of ipa at once.

     -t     Parse the configuration file, output its content and exit.	This op-
	    tion allows to check whether ipa and  IPA  modules	understand  your
	    configuration  file(s).   Two  -tt switches enable so called ``mimic
	    real configuration regime''.  ipa will set all  default  values  and
	    will  apply  settings from rulepat sections to rule sections in this
	    regime.

     -u userChange the UID of the running copy of ipa to the  given  user.   The
	    given  value may be either a user name or the UID.	If the -g option
	    is not given, then the GID will be the primary group  of  the  given
	    user, all supplementary user's groups are set as well.

     -g group
	    Change  the  GID of the running copy of ipa to the given group.  The
	    given value may be either a group name or the GID.	This option also
	    changes all supplementary user's groups.

     -x     Run commands from the given section (subsection) and  exit.   It  is
	    impossible to run commands from any section from autorule or rulepat
	    sections.	See  the  ipa.conf(5)  manual page for information about
	    sections and subsections names, rules, limits, sublimits and thresh-
	    olds.

     -h     Print the help message about available options and exit.

     -v     Show the version number,  some  settings,  what  is  supported  from
	    ipa.conf(5) and exit.

     When  ipa	starts it acquires the exclusive lock on its PID-file to prevent
     multiple copies of itself from running and stores its  PID  in  this  file.
     This saved PID is not used by ipa in any way.

     A SIGTERM signal causes the shutdowning of the ipa running copy.  It is the
     only one correct way to shutdown it.  If the -d switch is given in the com-
     mand  line,  then	a SIGINT signal is handled as a SIGTERM signal (a SIGINT
     signal usually is sent to a foreground process when one types Control-C se-
     quence).

     A SIGHUP signal tells ipa to reread its configuration file (default or  one
     given  in the command line when ipa was run).  If ipa cannot parse the con-
     figuration file, then it exits.  Read the ipa.conf(5) manual page for  more
     information  why  it  is better in some cases to reread a configuration in-
     stead of stopping and running ipa.

     Do not send a SIGKILL signal to the running copy of ipa,  use  this  signal
     only  if ipa does not work properly and does not catch a SIGTERM signal (or
     a SIGINT signal if it is run in the foreground regime).  This note is  here
     just because the -k option accepts the kill argument.

     Note  that  ipa caught the above mentioned signals only if it does not cur-
     rently execute some function from used IPA modules or does  not  runs  com-
     mands in a synchronous regime.  Handling of other signals is undefined.

     If  ipa  starts  in  the  background,  then it redirects the standard input
     (stdin) to /dev/null (see output of the ``ipa -v''  command  for  the  real
     path), output to the standard output (stdout) and the standard error output
     (stderr)  is  redirected  to internal pipe(2)s and asynchronously is logged
     with *STDOUT and *STDERR prefixes respectively.  Write ends of  each  pipes
     are set in the non-blockable regime.  Since a pipe(2) has a limited size of
     its  buffer,  then  some  information sent to stdout or stderr can be lost.
     Anyway this is better than simply discard output to stdout and stderr.

     If ipa starts in the foreground, then  stdin  and	stderr	works  as  usual
     (stderr is used for outputting log messages).

     ipa  does	not  sent  any message to stdout and stderr (when it runs in the
     background), but library functions or run commands  can  send  messages  to
     stdout and stderr.

DIAGNOSTICS
     ipa  exits with a return code 0 on success, and with a non-zero return code
     if any error occurred.  By default ipa is run in  the  background	and  you
     should  not rely upon its return code (it is just a return code of a origi-
     nal process), it is better to look at its log-file.  If you need to control
     a return code, then run ipa in foreground (use the -d switch).

FILES
     ipa.pid
     ipa.conf

     (run ipa with the -h switch and check default paths)

SEE ALSO
     ipactl(8), ipastat(8), ipa.conf(5), ipastat.conf(5), ipa_mod(3)

AUTHOR
     Andrey Simonenko <simon@comsys.ntu-kpi.kiev.ua>

BUGS
     If you find any, please send email me.

				 April 16, 2005 			  IPA(8)

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