RFC Util

v3.2   -   03.19.2001


derrick_ on freenode.net

  • Simple perl5 util for searching and alternately displaying RFC's.

    Why

    speed. i hate using the mouse and poking through web pages can take forever. i like to stay in a console or xterm for quickness when i can.. now any rfc is one or two commands away.

    What it does

    This tool will allow you to specify a number of an RFC, or a string that you're looking for, and return all related RFC's. You can also throw in the -l switch and have it spawn lynx to view the RFC. I've found this to be a 100 times faster than scouring the web for what i need. rfc -h will show you all available options.

    Requirements

    perl, (lynx|w3m|wget), and UNIX or any derivative thereof. i've tried it on all the BSD's w/o a hitch. You'll also need a net connection to update and browse the RFC's via (lynx|w3m|wget). This version searches your path for potential browsers listed in the @VIEWER array. You can set the $viewer variable in the script or the ENV of RFCVIEWER.


    3.2 source              changelog               Emacs extension

    just chmod 755 and copy to /usr/local/bin or /usr/bin. rfc -i will download the latest rfc-index. It will want to store it in /usr/local/etc/ so you'll need to be root or change $indexpath to a place you can write. 

    riddlebox:/home/derrick/devel/perl$ rfc

rfc v2.22: perl util to search the rfc-index and disply the pages with $viewer
usage:  rfc #     search rfc-index for specified RFC and list topic
        rfc -d # /path/ (optional) dumps plain text RFC. default is current dir
        rfc -h    displays this stuff
        rfc -i    updates the /etc/rfc-index via $viewer
        rfc -k    keyword; same as -s
        rfc -l #  spawns $viewer to the specified RFC
        rfc -m # user@remote.net [opt subject]; emails the RFC to given address
        rfc -n # or srvc to search locally for non-stnd service/port nums
        rfc -o #  Dumps RFC to STDOUT
        rfc -p    Connect to INI's assigned numbers for proto nums or 
                  services/ports association
        rfc -r    go wild with your own regexp on rfc-index
        rfc -s "string" Search the index for specific string
        rfc -u #  sets the base URL to the number listed with -w
        rfc -w    lists the available webservers to display
	baseURL=http://www.ietf.org/rfc/
	comments/bugfixes mailto: rfc@dewn.com
    HINTS:
  • once inside w3m/lynx you can use "/" to search more specifically
  • you can -o ### | less -Mi +/string to find exactly what you're looking for

    RESOURCES:

  • An Emacs extension.
  • IETF rfcs
  • www.faqs.org rfcs
  • ISI
  • www.cis.ohio-state.edu

    ------
    comments / bug-fixes rfc@dewn.com