flexfax: faxsetup on Linux (bug in moduser?)

[Matthias.Apitz@SOFTCON.de]

I'm checking the faxsetup(1M) on Linux (to detect any problems
and see if it works reliable). For some unknown reason my Linux
box (S.u.S.E.) is shipped with a user "fax" in /etc/passwd and
HylaFAX's faxsetup(1M) wants to modify this ("fax" must have
the same uid as "uucp"). But it seems that there is a bug
in the usermod(1M) command. It complains about the existing
(new) HOME of "fax" with exit code 12 but the change is done
in the /etc/passwd file. A workaround could be running the command
twice 'cuze it exits with 0 for the 2nd change which has
nothing to do anymore. Any comments from the Linux gurus?

# uname -a
Linux map 2.0.30 #9 Wed Nov 5 18:41:26 MET 1997 i586 unknown
# grep fax /etc/passwd
fax:x:23:14:Facsimile Agent:/var/spool/fax:/bin/bash
# usermod -d /usr/local/lib/HylaFAX/spool -m -u 10 -o -g 14 fax
usermod: directory /usr/local/lib/HylaFAX/spool exists
# echo $?
12
# grep fax /etc/passwd
fax:x:10:14:Facsimile Agent:/usr/local/lib/HylaFAX/spool:/bin/bash
# 
# usermod -d /usr/local/lib/HylaFAX/spool -m -u 10 -o -g 14 fax
# echo $?
0
#

BTW: The usermod(1M) wants the flag "-m" after the "-d home"
while the original faxsetup script in pl1 has the "-m" as the
first parameter. This can easy be fixed in the script faxsetup.linux
(or should be fixed in faxsetup at all).

All other things in faxsetup(1M) work without any kind of problems.
The faxq(1M) is up and the hfaxd(1M) starts on connects via
the inetd(1M):

thias:/home/guru $ FAXSERVER=map:4559 export FAXSERVER
thias:/home/guru $ faxstat -v
HylaFAX scheduler on map.muc.de: Running
Trying map (222.222.222.223) at port 4559...
Connected to map.
220 map.muc.de server (HylaFAX (tm) Version 4.0pl2beta) ready.
-> USER guru
230 User guru logged in.
-> PORT 222,222,222,222,5,152
200 PORT command successful.
-> LIST status
150 Opening new data connection for "status".
226 Transfer complete.
thias:/home/guru $ 


        matthias