1 | TOP |
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2 | Version 3.5 |
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3 | |
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4 | William LeFebvre |
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5 | and a cast of dozens |
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6 | |
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7 | |
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8 | If you do not want to read this entire file, then at least read |
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9 | the section at the end entitled "KNOWN PROBLEMS". |
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10 | |
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11 | If you are having any problems getting top to work, please read the |
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12 | file "FAQ" *before* contacting me. Thank you. |
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13 | |
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14 | "top" is a program that will give continual reports about the state of |
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15 | the system, including a list of the top cpu using processes. Version 3 |
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16 | of "top" has three primary design goals: provide an accurate snapshot of |
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17 | the system and process state, not be one of the top processes itself, be |
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18 | as portable as possible. |
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19 | |
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20 | Version 3 has many bug fixes from version 2.5, and it has also been |
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21 | reorganized in a major way to make it easy to port to other platforms. |
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22 | All system dependent code is now contained in one file. |
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23 | |
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24 | Top now includes a configuration script called "Configure". It helps |
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25 | the installer choose the correct parameters for this particular |
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26 | installation. This script MUST be run before attempting to compile top. |
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27 | |
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28 | Top requires read access to the memory files "/dev/kmem" and "/dev/mem" |
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29 | as well as the system image "/vmunix". Some installations have these |
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30 | files protected from general access. These sites would have to install |
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31 | this program in the same way that programs such as "ps" are installed. |
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32 | In addition, on those Unix variants that support the proc filesystem |
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33 | (such as SVR4 and Solaris 2), top requires read access to all the files |
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34 | in /proc: typically dictating that top be installed setuid to root. |
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35 | |
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36 | CAVEAT: version 3 of top has internal commands that kill and renice |
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37 | processes. Although I have taken steps to insure that top makes |
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38 | appropriate checks with these commands, I cannot guarantee that these |
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39 | internal commands are totally secure. IF YOU INSTALL top as a SETUID |
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40 | program, you do so AT YOUR OWN RISK! I realize that some operating |
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41 | systems will require top to run setuid, and I will do everything I can |
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42 | to make sure that top is a secure setuid program. |
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43 | |
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44 | Configure will ask you to input values for certain parameters. Before |
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45 | each parameter, Configure will display a description of what the |
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46 | parameter does. Read the description and choose an appropriate value. |
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47 | Sometimes a default will appear in brackets. Typing just return will |
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48 | choose the default. |
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49 | |
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50 | System support now takes the form of "modules". Adding support for |
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51 | a different architecture requires only adding a module. Configure |
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52 | asks which module to use when it is configuring top. See the file |
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53 | "Porting" for a description of how to write your own module. |
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54 | |
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55 | To compile and install "top", read the file "INSTALL" and follow the |
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56 | directions and advice contained therein. |
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57 | |
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58 | Once you have created a binary for one particular type of machine, you |
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59 | can reconfigure for another type with "./Configure modulename" where |
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60 | "modulename" is replaced with the appropriate module name. All other |
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61 | parameter values are kept the same. Note that in some cases this may |
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62 | not be appropriate. |
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63 | |
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64 | If you make any kind of change to "top" that you feel would be |
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65 | beneficial to others who use this program, or if you find and fix a bug, |
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66 | please send me the change. |
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67 | |
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68 | Be sure to read the FAQ enclosed with the distrubution. It contains |
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69 | answers to the most commonly asked questions about the configuration, |
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70 | installation, and operation of top. |
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71 | |
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72 | |
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73 | AVAILABILITY |
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74 | |
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75 | The latest version of "top" is now being made available via anonymous |
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76 | FTP from the host "ftp.groupsys.com" in the directory "/pub/top". |
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77 | Additional modules will be made available in the directory |
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78 | "/pub/top/m". The site "eecs.nwu.edu" will continue to house copies |
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79 | of the distribution as well. |
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80 | |
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81 | Here are HTML links for the four best "top" archive sites: |
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82 | |
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83 | <A HREF="ftp://ftp.groupsys.com/pub/top">Top archive (groupsys.com)</A> |
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84 | <A HREF="ftp://eecs.nwu.edu/pub/top">Top archive (eecs.nwu.edu)</A> |
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85 | <A HREF="ftp://pharos.dgim.doc.ca/packages/top"> Top mirror (dgim.doc.ca)</A> |
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86 | <A HREF="ftp://uiarchive.uiuc.edu/pub/packages/top/">Top mirror (uiuc.edu)</A> |
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87 | |
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88 | New releases will be posted to comp.sources.unix as they become |
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89 | available. Sites which arhive that newsgroup will also contain copies |
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90 | of the distribution. |
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91 | |
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92 | Announcements about availability will be made to the mailing list |
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93 | "top-announce@groupsys.com". This is an open list maintained by |
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94 | majordomo. To join the list, send a message containing the word |
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95 | "subscribe" to "top-announce-request@groupsys.com". Addresses of |
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96 | subscribers to this list are kept confidential and will never be used |
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97 | for any purpose other than as recipients of announements concerning |
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98 | this software. |
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99 | |
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100 | |
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101 | KNOWN PROBLEMS: |
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102 | |
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103 | Gnu CC |
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104 | |
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105 | Compiling via Gnu CC continued to be the source of most of the |
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106 | questions I receive. By far the most common mistake made by those |
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107 | attempting to compile top with Gnu CC is out of date include files. |
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108 | When the operating system is upgraded, the include files that are part |
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109 | of the gcc package MUST also be updated. Gcc maintains its own |
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110 | include files. Even a minor OS upgrade can involve changes to some of |
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111 | the kernel's internal data structures, which are defined in include |
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112 | files in "sys". Top is very sensitive to these changes. If you are |
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113 | compiling with gcc and experience any sort of strange problems, please |
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114 | make sure the include files you are using are up to date BEFORE |
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115 | sending me a bug report. Look in the gcc source distribution for the |
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116 | shell script "fixincludes". |
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117 | |
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118 | HP/UX 10.10 |
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119 | |
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120 | In their infinite wisdom, the folks at HP have decided that mere mortals |
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121 | such as you and I don't need to know what the kernel's proc structure looks |
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122 | like. To that end, they have removed all useful content from the include |
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123 | file <sys/proc.h> in version 10.10. As a result, top will not compile |
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124 | under 10.10. What HP is trying to accomplish with this move is to force |
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125 | iconoclasts such as myself to use "pstat" for collecting all process |
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126 | information. I have no immediate solution for this problem, but hope to |
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127 | obtain a sufficiently complete definition of "struct proc" at some point in |
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128 | the near future. Stay tuned. |
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129 | |
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130 | DIGITAL UNIX 4.0 (DECOSF/1 V4.0) |
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131 | |
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132 | A user has reported that idle processes are not displayed regardless |
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133 | of the flags used when invoking top. We have not had time to track |
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134 | this problem down. |
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135 | |
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136 | DECOSF/1 V3.0 |
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137 | |
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138 | There is a bug either in the module, in utils.c, or in DEC's optimizer that |
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139 | is tickled by the decosf1 module when compiled under V3.0 (and perhaps |
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140 | earlier versions). Top compiled using DEC's compiler with optimization |
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141 | will consistently produce a segmentation fault (in format_next_process |
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142 | while calling sprintf). To work around this problem, either compile top |
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143 | with gcc or turn off optimization (compile without -O). We think that |
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144 | one of the bugs fixed in utils.c fixed this problem as well, but we are |
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145 | not certain. |
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146 | |
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147 | |
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148 | System V R 4.2 |
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149 | |
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150 | Load average and memory displays do not work. The problem has been |
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151 | traced down to a potential bug in the "mem" driver. The author |
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152 | of the svr42 module is working on a fix. |
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153 | |
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154 | |
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155 | |
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156 | GRATITUDE |
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157 | |
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158 | My perpetual thanks to all the people who have helped me support top |
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159 | on so many platforms. Without these people, top would not be what it |
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160 | is. Here is a partial list of contributors and other individuals. |
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161 | |
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162 | Robert Boucher <boucher@sofkin.ca> |
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163 | Marc Cohen <marc@aai.com> |
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164 | David Cutter <dpc@grail.com> |
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165 | Casper Dik <Casper.Dik@Sun.COM> |
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166 | Charles Hedrick <hedrick@geneva.rutgers.edu> |
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167 | Andrew Herbert <andrew@werple.apana.org.au> |
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168 | Jeff Janvrin <jeff.janvrin@columbiasc.ncr.com> |
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169 | Torsten Kasch <torsten@techfak.uni-bielefeld.de> |
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170 | Petri Kutvonen <kutvonen@cs.helsinki.fi> |
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171 | William L. Jones <jones@chpc> |
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172 | Tim Pugh <tpugh@oce.orst.edu> |
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173 | Steve Scherf <scherf@swdc.stratus.com> |
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174 | Phillip Wu <pwu01@qantek.com.au> |
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175 | |
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176 | (My apologies if I missed anyone.) |
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177 | |
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178 | |
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179 | AUTHOR |
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180 | |
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181 | William LeFebvre |
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182 | Group sys Consulting |
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183 | wnl@groupsys.com |
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184 | |
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185 | |
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186 | U.S. Mail address: |
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187 | William LeFebvre |
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188 | Group sys Consulting |
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189 | 11585 Jones Bridge Road |
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190 | Suite 420-139 |
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191 | Alpharetta, GA 30022 |
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192 | (770) 813-3224 |
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