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



NAME
       cvsbug - send problem report (PR) about CVS to a central support site

SYNOPSIS
       cvsbug [ site ] [ -f problem-report ] [ -t mail-address ]
               [ -P ] [ -L ] [ --request-id ] [ -v ]

DESCRIPTION
       cvsbug is a tool used to submit problem reports (PRs) to a central
       support site.  In most cases the correct site will be the default.
       This argument indicates the support site which is responsible for the
       category of problem involved.  Some sites may use a local address as a
       default.  site values are defined by using the aliases(5).

       cvsbug invokes an editor on a problem report template (after trying to
       fill in some fields with reasonable default values).  When you exit the
       editor, cvsbug sends the completed form to the Problem Report
       Management System (GNATS) at a central support site.  At the support
       site, the PR is assigned a unique number and is stored in the GNATS
       database according to its category and submitter-id.  GNATS
       automatically replies with an acknowledgement, citing the category and
       the PR number.

       To ensure that a PR is handled promptly, it should contain your
       (unique) submitter-id and one of the available categories to identify
       the problem area.  (Use `cvsbug -L' to see a list of categories.)

       The cvsbug template at your site should already be customized with your
       submitter-id (running `install-sid submitter-id' to accomplish this is
       part of the installation procedures for cvsbug).  If this hasn't been
       done, see your system administrator for your submitter-id, or request
       one from your support site by invoking `cvsbug --request-id'.  If your
       site does not distinguish between different user sites, or if you are
       not affiliated with the support site, use `net' for this field.

       The more precise your problem description and the more complete your
       information, the faster your support team can solve your problems.

OPTIONS
       -f problem-report
              specify a file (problem-report) which already contains a
              complete problem report.  cvsbug sends the contents of the file
              without invoking the editor.  If the value for problem-report is
              `-', then cvsbug reads from standard input.

       -t mail-address
              Change mail address at the support site for problem reports.
              The default mail-address is the address used for the default
              site.  Use the site argument rather than this option in nearly
              all cases.

       -P     print the form specified by the environment variable PR_FORM on
              standard output.  If PR_FORM is not set, print the standard
              blank PR template.  No mail is sent.

       -L     print the list of available categories.  No mail is sent.

       --request-id
              sends mail to the default support site, or site if specified,
              with a request for your submitter-id.  If you are not affiliated
              with site, use a submitter-id of net'.

       -v     Display the cvsbug version number.

       Note: use cvsbug to submit problem reports rather than mailing them
       directly.  Using both the template and cvsbug itself will help ensure
       all necessary information will reach the support site.

ENVIRONMENT
       The environment variable EDITOR specifies the editor to invoke on the
       template.
       default: vi

       If the environment variable PR_FORM is set, then its value is used as
       the file name of the template for your problem-report editing session.
       You can use this to start with a partially completed form (for example,
       a form with the identification fields already completed).

HOW TO FILL OUT A PROBLEM REPORT
       Problem reports have to be in a particular form so that a program can
       easily manage them.  Please remember the following guidelines:

       ⊕  describe only one problem with each problem report.

       ⊕  For follow-up mail, use the same subject line as the one in the
          automatic acknowledgement. It consists of category, PR number and
          the original synopsis line.  This allows the support site to relate
          several mail messages to a particular PR and to record them
          automatically.

       ⊕  Please try to be as accurate as possible in the subject and/or
          synopsis line.

       ⊕  The subject and the synopsis line are not confidential.  This is
          because open-bugs lists are compiled from them.  Avoid confidential
          information there.

       See the GNU Info file cvsbug.info or the document Reporting Problems
       With cvsbug for detailed information on reporting problems

HOW TO SUBMIT TEST CASES, CODE, ETC.
       Submit small code samples with the PR.  Contact the support site for
       instructions on submitting larger test cases and problematic source
       code.

FILES
       /tmp/p$$     copy of PR used in editing session
       /tmp/pf$$    copy of empty PR form, for testing purposes
       /tmp/pbad$$  file for rejected PRs

INSTALLATION AND CONFIGURATION
       See INSTALL for installation instructions.

SEE ALSO
       gnats(l), query-pr(1), edit-pr(1), gnats(8), queue-pr(8), at-pr(8),
       mkcat(8), mkdist(8).

AUTHORS
       Jeffrey Osier, Brendan Kehoe, Jason Merrill, Heinz G. Seidl (Cygnus
       Support)

COPYING
       Copyright (c) 1992, 1993 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

       Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this
       manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are
       preserved on all copies.

       Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
       manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
       entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
       permission notice identical to this one.

       Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this
       manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified
       versions, except that this permission notice may be included in
       translations approved by the Free Software Foundation instead of in the
       original English.




February 1993                      xVERSIONx                         CVSBUG(8)