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<H1>CPAN Frequently Asked Questions</H1>
<P>
Here are some answers to the most common questions received by <TT>cpan@perl.org</TT>.
<P>
For general information about Perl you should see the <A HREF="http://www.perl.org/">Perl Home Page</A> (<TT>www.perl.org</TT>).
<P>
See the Perl FAQ (especially for any Perl programming questions, but also for other resources), 
available at <A HREF="http://perlfaq.cpan.org">http://perlfaq.cpan.org/</A>.
<P>
<SMALL>Copyright Elaine Ashton <TT>&lt;hfb@chaos.wustl.edu&gt;</TT> 
and Jarkko Hietaniemi <TT>&lt;jhi@iki.fi&gt</TT> 1998-2007
All Rights Reserved.</SMALL>
</P>
<HR>
<H2>I. - General Questions.</H2>
<UL>
<LI><A HREF="#What_is_Perl">What is Perl?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#What_is_Perl6">What is Perl6?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#What_is_CPAN">What is the CPAN?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#What_is_PAUSE">What is PAUSE?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#How_does_the_CPAN_work">How does the CPAN work?</A>
</UL>
<HR>
<H2>II. - The Quest for Perl source, modules and scripts.</H2>
<UL>
<LI><A HREF="#Where_Perl_source_code">Where can I find the current release of the Perl source code?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#Where_older_Perl">Where can I find older/obsolete versions of Perl or Perl Modules?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#What_versions_mean">How do I interpret the Perl version numbers?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#How_install_Perl_source">How do I install Perl from the source code?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#Where_find_Perl_modules">Where can I find Perl modules?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#How_install_Perl_modules">How do I install Perl modules?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#How_installed_modules">How do I find out what modules are already installed on my system?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#Where_recent_modules">Where can I find the most recently uploaded Perl modules?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#Where_find_modules_windows">Where can I find Perl modules for Windows?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#Where_find_binaries">Where can I find Perl binaries/packages or Perl module binaries?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#How_is_Perl_licensed">How are Perl and the CPAN modules licensed?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#What_modules_in_Perl_Dist">Does the Perl source distribution include any modules?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#What_platform_modules">What modules are platform dependent?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#Where_find_Perl_scripts">Where can I find Perl scripts?</A>
</UL>
<HR>
<H2>III. - RIF [ Reading is Fun-duh-mental ]</H2>
<UL>
<LI><A HREF="#Where_find_Perl_FAQs">Where can I find the Perl FAQs?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#Where_find_Perl_documentation">Where can I find Perl documentation?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#Where_find_module_documentation">Where can I find Perl module documentation?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#Where_find_DBI_documentation">Where can I find Perl DBI/DBD/database documentation?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#Where_find_Perl_mailing_lists">Where can I find/join/create Perl mailing lists?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#Where_find_Perl_training">Where can I find Perl courses/training/on-line tutorials?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#How_join_mongers">How do I find/join/organise a Perl User Group?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#What_history_Perl">Where can I find a history of Perl releases or a general history of the Perl community?</A>
</UL>
<HR>
<H2>IV. - Danger Will Robinson! Danger! Danger!</H2>
<UL>
<LI><A HREF="#Download_module_corrupt">I downloaded a module/script/file but it was corrupt, what should I do?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#Help_me_obi_wan">How do I use module Foo::Bar, can you help? (a.k.a. Are you a helpdesk?)</A>
<LI><A HREF="#What_search_down">I'm having trouble with search.cpan.org, whom do I need to contact?</A>
</UL>
<HR>
<H2>V. - Searching CPAN, CSPAN and the rest of the known universe.</H2>
<UL>
<LI><A HREF="#How_search_CPAN">How do I search CPAN?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#How_search_module_documentation">How do I search for module/script documentation? (a.k.a. "How do I use ..."?)</A>
<LI><A HREF="#How_find_news_item">How do I find Ralph Nader? (a.k.a. We're C-P-A-N not C-S-P-A-N!)</A>
</UL>
<HR>
<H2>VI. - Contributing modules, patches, and bug reports.</H2>
<UL>
<LI><A HREF="#How_contribute_modules">How do I contribute modules to CPAN?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#Does_CPAN_allow_shareware">Does CPAN allow contributions of shareware or code that requests a fee of any kind?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#How_contribute_scripts">How do I contribute scripts to CPAN?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#How_contribute_documentation">How do I contribute documentation?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#How_report_bug_Perl">How do I report/fix a bug in Perl and/or its documentation?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#How_report_bug_module">How do I report/fix a bug in a module/script?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#How_maintain_module">How do I go about maintaining a module when the author is unresponsive?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#How_adopt_module">How do I adopt or take over a module already on CPAN?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#Where_is_testers">Is there a site for module bug reports/tests?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#Plans_for_statistics">Does CPAN provide download statistics for authors?</A>
</UL>
<HR>
<H2>VII. - How to mirror CPAN.</H2>
<UL>
<LI><A HREF="#How_mirror_CPAN">How do I mirror CPAN?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#What_do_I_need">What do I need to mirror CPAN?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#Which_site_mirror">Which CPAN site should I mirror?</A>
<LI><A HREF="#How_register_mirror">How do I register my mirror to make it a public resource?</A>
</UL>
<P>
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="What_is_Perl">What is Perl?</A></H3>
<P>
From the Perl documentation:
<P>
<CITE>
Perl is a high-level programming language with an eclectic heritage written by Larry Wall and a cast 
of thousands. It derives from the ubiquitous C programming language and to a lesser extent from sed, 
awk, the Unix shell, and at least a dozen other tools and languages. Perl's process, file, and text 
manipulation facilities make it particularly well-suited for tasks involving quick prototyping, system 
utilities, software tools, system management tasks, database access, graphical programming, networking, 
and world wide web programming. These strengths make it especially popular with system administrators 
and CGI script authors, but mathematicians, geneticists, journalists, and even managers also use Perl. 
Maybe you should, too.
</CITE>
<P>
See also <A HREF="http://www.tpj.com/whatisperl.html">http://www.tpj.com/whatisperl.html</A>
<P>
Two good starting points for Perl information are <A HREF="http://www.perl.com/pub">http://www.perl.com/</A>
and <A HREF="http://www.perl.org/">http://www.perl.org/</A>
<P>
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="What_is_Perl6">What is Perl6?</A></H3>
<P>
At The Second O'Reilly Open Source Software Convention, Larry Wall announced Perl6 development would begin 
in earnest. Perl6 was an oft used term for Chip Salzenberg's project to rewrite Perl in C++ named
Topaz. However, Topaz should not be confused with the nisus to rewrite Perl while keeping the lessons learned
from other software, as well as Perl5, in mind.                
<P>
If you have a desire to help in the crusade to make Perl a better place then peruse the Perl6 developers page 
at <A HREF="http://www.perl.org/perl6/">http://www.perl.org/perl6</A> and get involved.
<P>  
"We're really serious about reinventing everything that needs reinventing." --Larry Wall
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="What_is_CPAN">What is CPAN?</A></H3>
<P>
CPAN is the <B>C</B>omprehensive <B>P</B>erl <B>A</B>rchive <B>N</B>etwork, a large collection of
Perl software and documentation.  You can begin exploring from either
<A HREF="http://www.cpan.org/">http://www.cpan.org/</A> or any of the mirrors listed at
<A HREF="http://www.cpan.org/SITES.html">http://www.cpan.org/SITES.html</A>.
<P>
Note that CPAN is also the name of a Perl module, CPAN.pm, which is used to download
and install Perl software from the CPAN archive.  This FAQ covers only a little about 
the CPAN module and you may find the documentation for it by using <TT> perldoc CPAN </TT> 
 via the command line or on the web at <A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/dist/CPAN/lib/CPAN.pm">
 http://search.cpan.org/dist/CPAN/lib/CPAN.pm</A>.
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="What_is_PAUSE">What is PAUSE?</A></H3>
<P>
 <A HREF="http://pause.cpan.org/">PAUSE</A> is the <B>P</B>erl <B>A</B>uthors <B>U</B>pload 
<B>SE</B>rver, a registry for Perl module, script and documentation authors to upload their 
work to the CPAN. CPAN and PAUSE are often used interchangeably but they are distinct from 
each other. The CPAN.pm documentation explains it rather simply;
<P>
<CITE>
In this discussion CPAN and PAUSE have become equal -- but they are not. PAUSE is authors/, 
modules/ and scripts/. CPAN is PAUSE plus the clpa/, doc/, misc/, ports/ and src/.
</CITE>
<P>
See the question <A HREF="#How_contribute_modules">'How do I contribute modules?'</A> below if you 
want to become a registered PAUSE user.
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="How_does_the_CPAN_work">How does the CPAN work?</A></H3>
<P>
With dark magic, evil-looking sacrificial knives and scantily clad virgins under pale moonlight.
<P>
It actually works with the generosity and cooperation of hundreds of developers, over 100
participating mirrors, funet.fi donating the network bandwidth, storage space and computing
power, volunteers who help keep everything together and users whose interest in Perl keep 
the archive alive and growing.
<P>
After an author uploads their module to <A HREF="http://pause.cpan.org/">PAUSE</A>, it will be
mirrored to CPAN once an hour and from there, to the rest of the mirrors around the world. Various
scripts run on CPAN daily to make sure that mirrors are up and running and that the mirror to PAUSE
is functional, etc. There are people who advise authors on their choice of name and namespace for
their modules and a few others who answer questions and investigate issues sent to cpan@perl.org.
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="Where_Perl_source_code">Where can I find the current release of the Perl source code?</A></H3>
<P>
<UL>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.cpan.org/src/">http://www.cpan.org/src/</A> - A detailed list of source code offerings.
</UL>
<P>The Perl Mongers have a "Download Perl" button for websites and if you are interested you can find it on their 
site at <A HREF="http://www.pm.org/web_site_frosting.shtml">http://www.pm.org/web_site_frosting.shtml</A>.
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="Where_older_Perl">Where can I find older/obsolete versions of Perl or Perl Modules?</A></H3>
<P>
Unless you have A Very Good Reason you shouldn't be installing obsolete versions because they might
contain bugs, possibly even security bugs.
<P>
Good Reasons may include having to support Perl 4 programs, trying to replicate a bug that requires
an old Perl release, or pure joy of software archaeology. (Are you Perl 1 compliant?)
<P>
CPAN does not carry all ancient releases and patchlevels of Perl (because of the bugs we mentioned 
above and because they would take quite a lot of storage space).  
<UL>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.etla.org/retroperl/">http://www.etla.org/retroperl/</A></LI>
<LI><A HREF="http://mirrors.valueclick.com/perl/really-ancient-perls/">http://mirrors.valueclick.com/perl/really-ancient-perls/</A></LI>
<LI><A HREF="http://history.perl.org/src/">http://history.perl.org/src/</A></LI>
<LI><A HREF="http://backpan.perl.org/">http://backpan.perl.org/</A> - for old versions of modules</LI>
</UL>
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="What_versions_mean">How do I interpret the Perl version numbers?</A></H3>
<P>
Perl changed the version numbering system with v5.6.0 as was indicated in the release announcement:
<P>
<CITE>
Perl v5.6.0 is a major release that incorporates all maintenance and development changes since the last major 
release, 5.005.  As you may have noticed, the version numbering has changed.  Releases will henceforth be 
numbered as revision.version.subversion triples.  Maintenance releases will have an even version component, 
while the version component for development releases will be odd.  For example, the next maintenance update 
of Perl 5.6.0 will be v5.6.1, and the development series will begin life at v5.7.0.
</CITE>
<P>
You may also peruse the <TT>perlhist</TT> manpage for a complete list of versions and their release dates.
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="How_install_Perl_source">How do I install Perl using the source code?</A></H3>
<P>
To build Perl you need a C compilation environment. After downloading the source code and 
opening it up, you should first read the INSTALL document which will detail how to build
Perl on most systems. There are a number of README.[platform] for platforms where special
care is needed in building Perl. As always, reading the documentation is a Good Thing[tm].
<P>
Perl can be installed using the standard source code distribution on almost all platforms 
Perl runs on. This includes all the UNIXes (and good lookalikes, meaning
POSIX environments like OS/2, Plan 9, QNX, Amiga, MPE/iX, VMS, OS390, Stratus VOS), and 
Microsoft platforms. The most notable exceptions are (as of 1999-Mar-24);
<UL>
<LI> MacOS (1)
<LI> AS/400 (2)
<LI> Novell Netware	(2)
</UL>
<P>
For these platforms a binary release may be the easiest path. 
<OL>
<LI>The source code to compile MacPerl is available at
    <A HREF="http://www.cpan.org/ports/mac/">http://www.cpan.org/ports/mac/</A>.
<LI>The source code for AS/400 and Netware Perls have not been merged to the main Perl source 
code distribution. If you want to try compiling them yourself, get the sources from 
<A HREF="http://www.cpan.org/ports/as400/">http://www.cpan.org/ports/As400/</A> or
<A HREF="http://www.cpan.org/ports/netware/">http://www.cpan.org/ports/netware/</A> and
then continue at <A HREF="http://www.cpan.org/src/README">http://www.cpan.org/src/README</A>
</OL>
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="Where_find_Perl_modules">Where can I find Perl modules?</A></H3>
<P>
<UL>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.cpan.org/modules/00modlist.long.html">http://www.cpan.org/modules/00modlist.long.html</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/">http://search.cpan.org/</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://kobesearch.cpan.org/">http://kobesearch.cpan.org/</A>
</UL>
<P>
Due to the ever increasing number of modules on CPAN, the CPAN search engine is possibly a better
starting point in your quest for code, especially if you already know exactly what you are looking
for.
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="How_install_Perl_modules">How do I install Perl modules?</A></H3>
<P>
Installing a new module can be as simple as typing <TT>perl -MCPAN -e 'install Chocolate::Belgian'</TT>. 
The <A HREF="http://theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca/CPAN/perl/CPAN.html">CPAN.pm documentation</A> has 
more complete instructions on how to use this convenient tool.  If you are uncomfortable with 
having something take that much control over your software installation, or it otherwise doesn't 
work for you, the <A HREF="http://theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca/CPAN/perl/pod/perlmodinstall.html">perlmodinstall</A>
documentation covers module installation for UNIX, Windows and Macintosh in more familiar terms.
<P>
Finally, if you're using ActivePerl on Windows, the 
<A HREF="http://velocity.activestate.com/docs/ActivePerl/faq/ActivePerl-faq2.html">PPM</A>
(Perl Package Manager) has much of the same functionality as CPAN.pm.
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="How_installed_modules">How do I find out what modules are already installed on my system?</A></H3>
<P>
<UL>
<LI><TT>perldoc perllocal</TT>
<P>
Each time a module is installed on your system, it appends information like the following to a file called 
<TT>perllocal.pod</TT> which can be found in <TT>/usr/local/lib/perl5/version number/architecture/</TT> or something
akin to that. The path for your specific installation is in your @INC which you can divine with <TT>perl -V</TT>.
<PRE>
=head2 Wed May 12 13:42:53 1999: C&lt;Module&gt; L&lt;Data::Dumper&gt;

=over 4

=item *

C&lt;installed into: /usr/local/lib/perl5/5.00503&gt;

=item *

C&lt;LINKTYPE: dynamic&gt;

=item *

C&lt;VERSION: 2.101&gt;

=item *

C&lt;EXE_FILES: &gt;

=back
</PRE>
Each entry includes the Module name, date and time it was installed, where it was installed, linktype [ static or dynamic ],
version and executables, if any, included with the module.
<P>
<LI>ActivePerl has the PPM utility. 
<PRE>
C:\>ppm query
Archive-Tar   [0.072 ] module for manipulation of tar archives.
Compress-Zlib [1.03  ] Interface to zlib compression library
DBI           [1.13  ] Database independent interface for Perl
GD            [1.25  ] Interface to Gd Graphics Library
HTML-Parser   [2.23  ] SGML parser class
MIME-Base64   [2.11  ] Encoding and decoding of base64 strings
PPM           [1.1.4 ] Perl Package Manager: locate, install, upgrade software
</PRE>
<P>
<LI>The pmtools suite written by Tom Christiansen to help navigate and manage Perl module installations. 
You can obtain them at <A HREF="http://language.perl.com/misc/pmtools-1.00.tar.gz">http://language.perl.com/misc/pmtools-1.00.tar.gz</A>.
From the README:
<PRE>
This is pmtools -- a suite of small programs to help manage modules.
The names are totally preliminary, and in fact, so is the code.  We follow
the "keep it small" notion of many tiny tools each doing one thing well,
eschewing giant megatools with millions of options.
</PRE>
<UL>
<LI>pmpath - show the module's full path
<LI>pmvers - get a module version number
<LI>pmdesc  - get a module description
<LI>pmall  - get all installed modules pmdesc descriptions 
<LI>pmdirs    - print the perl module path, newline separated
<LI>plxload - show what files a given program loads at compile time
<LI>pmload - show what files a given module loads at compile time
<LI>pmexp - show a module's exports
<LI>pminst  - find what's installed
<LI>pmeth - list a class's methods, recursively
<LI>pmls  - long list the module path
<LI>pmcat  - cat the module source through your pager
<LI>pman - show the module's pod docs
<LI>pmfunc - show a function source code from a module
<LI>podgrep - grep in pods of a file
<LI>pfcat - show pods from perlfunc
<LI>podtoc - list table of contents of a podpage
<LI>podpath - show full path of pod file
<LI>pods - list all standard pods and module pods
<LI>sitepods - list only pods in site_perl directories
<LI>basepods - list only normal "man-page" style pods
<LI>faqpods - list only faq pods
<LI>modpods - all module pods, including site_perl ones
<LI>stdpods - list standard pods, not site_perl ones
</UL>
</UL>
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="Where_recent_modules">Where can I find the most recently uploaded Perl modules?</A></H3>
<P>
There are so many new and updated modules that it is hard to keep up with the deluge, but there are ways
to stay abreast of the tide.
</P>
<UL>
<LI><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/recent">http://search.cpan.org/recent</A> 
<LI><A HREF="http://theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca/mod_perl/cpan-search?request=recent">http://theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca/mod_perl/cpan-search?request=recent</A> 
<LI><A HREF="http://use.perl.org/">http://use.perl.org/</A> 
<LI><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/recent.rdf">http://search.cpan.org/recent.rdf</A> - an RSS format of /recent 
</UL>
<P>Any of these should be good for your daily feed of new modules.</P>
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="Where_find_modules_windows">Where can I find Perl modules for Windows?</A></H3>
<P>
<A HREF="http://velocity.activestate.com/docs/ActivePerl/faq/ActivePerl-faq2.html">www.activestate.com</A> 
has a FAQ for their Package Manager or <A HREF="http://www.netaxs.com/~joc/perlwin32.html">http://www.netaxs.com/~joc/perlwin32.html</A>
which has a nice listing of Win32 resources including modules.
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="Where_find_binaries">Where can I find Perl binaries/packages or Perl module binaries?</A></H3>
<P>
<A HREF="http://www.cpan.org/ports/index.html">http://www.cpan.org/ports/index.html</A> is a current
list of Perl binaries that we are aware of at this time. If you have a package for a platform, send
us a URL. We do not endorse nor guarantee these packages nor do we store them locally on CPAN due
to the potential size of the archive if we did.
<P>
Perl module binaries for use with ActivePerl's PPM can be found at 
<A HREF="http://www.activestate.com/PPMPackages/">http://www.activestate.com/PPMPackages/</A>.
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="How_is_Perl_licensed">How are Perl and the CPAN modules licensed?</A></H3>
<P>
Most, though not all, modules on CPAN are licensed under the GNU Public License (GPL)
or the Artistic license and should be stated in the documentation that
accompanies the module itself. If the license is not specifically stated
in the module, you can always write the author to clarify the issue for
you.

Also, the text of the Artistic license and the GNU Public License are included in
the root directory of the source distribution. From the 'README' file that
comes with Perl:
<P>
<PRE>
                       Perl Kit, Version 5.0

                   Copyright 1989-1999, Larry Wall
                        All rights reserved.

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the terms of either:
 
    a) the GNU General Public License as published by the Free
    Software Foundation; either version 1, or (at your option) any
    later version, or
    b) the "Artistic License" which comes with this Kit.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See either
the GNU General Public License or the Artistic License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the Artistic License with this
Kit, in the file named "Artistic".  If not, I'll be glad to provide one.

You should also have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
along with this program in the file named "Copying". If not, write to the
Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA
02111-1307, USA or visit their web page on the internet at
http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html.

For those of you that choose to use the GNU General Public License,
my interpretation of the GNU General Public License is that no Perl
script falls under the terms of the GPL unless you explicitly put
said script under the terms of the GPL yourself.  Furthermore, any
object code linked with perl does not automatically fall under the
terms of the GPL, provided such object code only adds definitions
of subroutines and variables, and does not otherwise impair the
resulting interpreter from executing any standard Perl script.  I
consider linking in C subroutines in this manner to be the moral
equivalent of defining subroutines in the Perl language itself.  You
may sell such an object file as proprietary provided that you provide  
or offer to provide the Perl source, as specified by the GNU General
Public License.  (This is merely an alternate way of specifying input
to the program.)  You may also sell a binary produced by the dumping of 
a running Perl script that belongs to you, provided that you provide or
offer to provide the Perl source as specified by the GPL.  (The
fact that a Perl interpreter and your code are in the same binary file
is, in this case, a form of mere aggregation.)  This is my interpretation
of the GPL.  If you still have concerns or difficulties understanding
my intent, feel free to contact me.  Of course, the Artistic License
spells all this out for your protection, so you may prefer to use that.
</PRE>
<HR> 
<H3><A NAME="What_modules_in_Perl_Dist">Does the Perl source include any modules?</A></H3>
<P>Yes, Perl comes with a number of useful modules and are listed in the perlmodlib pod:
<UL>
<LI><A HREF="http://theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca/CPAN/perl/pod/perlmodlib.html">http://theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca/CPAN/perl/pod/perlmodlib.html</A>
<LI><TT>perldoc perlmodlib</TT>
</UL>
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="What_platform_modules">What modules are platform dependent?</A></H3>
<P> 
Several implementations of Perl on specific platforms come bundled
with a collection of platform specific modules.

Additional information is available for:

<H3>IBM OS/2</H3>
<P>The following modules come with standard Perl.</P>
<DL>
<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=OS2%3A%3ADLL"><TT>OS2::DLL</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Access to DLLs with REXX calling convention and REXX runtime.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=OS2%3A%3AExtAttr"><TT>OS2::ExtAttr</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Access to extended attributes.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=OS2%3A%3APrfDB"><TT>OS2::PrfDB</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Access to the OS/2 setting database.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=OS2%3A%3AProcess"><TT>OS2::Process</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Constants for \tool{system}(2) call on OS/2.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=OS2%3A%3AREXX"><TT>OS2::REXX</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Access to DLLs with REXX calling convention and REXX runtime.</DD>
</DL>
<H3>DEC (Open)VMS</H3>
<P>The following modules come with standard Perl.</P>
<DL>
<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=VMS%3A%3ADCLsym"><TT>VMS::DCLsym</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Perl extension to manipulate DCL symbols.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=VMS%3A%3AFilespec"><TT>VMS::Filespec</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Converts between VMS and Unix file specification syntax.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=VMS%3A%3AStdio"><TT>VMS::Stdio</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Standard I/O functions via VMS extensions.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=VMS%3A%3AXSSymSet"><TT>VMS::XSSymSet</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Keeps sets of symbol names palatable to the VMS linker. </DD>
</DL>

<H3>Microsoft Windows (32 bit)</H3>
<P>The following modules come with <A HREF="http://www.activestate.com/Products/ActivePerl/">ActiveState Perl</A>.</P>
<DL>
<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=Win32%3A%3AChangeNotify"><TT>Win32::ChangeNotify</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Monitors events related to files and directories.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=Win32%3A%3AConsole"><TT>Win32::Console</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Uses Win32 Console and Character Mode Functions.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=Win32%3A%3AEvent"><TT>Win32::Event</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Uses Win32 event objects.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=Win32%3A%3AEventLog"><TT>Win32::EventLog</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Processes Win32 Event Logs.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=Win32%3A%3AFile"><TT>Win32::File</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Manages file attributes.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=Win32%3A%3AFileSecurity"><TT>Win32::FileSecurity</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Manages FileSecurity Discretionary Access Control Lists.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=Win32%3A%3AIPC"><TT>Win32::IPC</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Loads base class for Win32 synchronization objects.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=Win32%3A%3AInternet"><TT>Win32::Internet</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Accesses <TT>WININET.DLL</TT> functions.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=Win32%3A%3AMutex"><TT>Win32::Mutex</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Uses Win32 mutex objects.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=Win32%3A%3ANetAdmin"><TT>Win32::NetAdmin</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Manages network groups and users.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=Win32%3A%3ANetResource"><TT>Win32::NetResource</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Manages network resources.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=Win32%3A%3AODBC"><TT>Win32::ODBC</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Uses ODBC Extension for Win32.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=Win32%3A%3AOLE"><TT>Win32::OLE</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Uses OLE Automation extensions.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=Win32%3A%3AOLE%3A%3AConst"><TT>Win32::OLE::Const</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Extracts constant definitions from TypeLib.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=Win32%3A%3AOLE%3A%3AEnum"><TT>Win32::OLE::Enum</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Uses OLE Automation Collection Objects.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=Win32%3A%3AOLE%3A%3ANLS"><TT>Win32::OLE::NLS</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Uses OLE National Language Support.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=Win32%3A%3AOLE%3A%3AVariant"><TT>Win32::OLE::Variant</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Creates and modifies OLE VARIANT variables.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=Win32%3A%3APerfLib"><TT>Win32::PerfLib</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Accesses the Windows NT Performance Counter.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=Win32%3A%3AProcess"><TT>Win32::Process</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Creates and manipulates processes.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=Win32%3A%3ASemaphore"><TT>Win32::Semaphore</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Uses Win32 semaphore objects.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=Win32%3A%3AService"><TT>Win32::Service</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Manages system services.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=Win32%3A%3ASound"><TT>Win32::Sound</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Plays with Windows sounds.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=Win32%3A%3ATieRegistry"><TT>Win32::TieRegistry</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Mungs the registry.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=Win32API%3A%3AFile"><TT>Win32API::File</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Accesses low-level Win32 system API calls for files and directories.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=Win32API%3A%3ANet"><TT>Win32API::Net</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Manages Windows NT LanManager accounts.</DD>

<DT><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&amp;query=Win32API%3A%3ARegistry"><TT>Win32API::Registry</TT></A></DT>
<DD>Accesses low-level Win32 system API calls from <TT>WINREG.H</TT>.</DD>
</DL>
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="Where_find_Perl_scripts">Where can I find Perl scripts?</A></H3>
<UL>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.cpan.org/scripts/index.html">http://www.cpan.org/scripts/index.html</A> 
<LI><A HREF="http://www.perlarchive.com/">http://www.perlarchive.com/</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://freshmeat.net">http://freshmeat.net/</A> 
<LI>and many, many other places on the net have Perl programs....
</UL>
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="Where_find_Perl_FAQs">Where can I find the Perl FAQs?</A></H3>
<P>
The Perl FAQ is included with the Perl source code distribution.
<P>
<UL>
<LI><TT>perldoc perlfaq</TT>
<LI><A HREF="http://perlfaq.cpan.org/">http://perlfaq.cpan.org/</A>
</UL>
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="Where_find_Perl_documentation">Where can I find Perl documentation?</A></H3>
<P>
<UL>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.cpan.org/doc/index.html">http://www.cpan.org/doc/index.html</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://perldoc.cpan.org">http://perldoc.cpan.org/</A>
<LI><TT>perldoc perldoc</TT> to use the documentation included with your Perl distribution.
<LI><A HREF="http://theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca/CPAN/perl/pod/perlfaq2/Perl_Books.html">http://theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca/CPAN/perl/pod/perlfaq2/Perl_Books.html</A> 
for those who have read all of the free documentation and want something they can read in the loo 
by candlelight.
</UL>
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="Where_find_module_documentation">Where can I find Perl module documentation?</A></H3>
<P>
<UL>
<LI><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/">http://search.cpan.org/</A>, 
<LI><TT>perldoc Foo::Bar</TT> if the module is installed locally.
</UL>
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="Where_find_DBI_documentation">Where do I find Perl DBI/DBD/database documentation?</A></H3>
<P>
<UL>
<LI><a href="http://dbi.perl.org/">http://dbi.perl.org/</a> - The Perl DBI site
<LI><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/dist/DBI/DBI.pm">http://search.cpan.org/dist/DBI/DBI.pm</A> - The DBI man page
<LI><TT>perldoc DBI</TT> 
</UL>
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="Where_find_Perl_mailing_lists">Where can I find Perl mailing lists?</A></H3>
<P>
There are quite a few mailing lists with a broad range of topics. 
<P>
<UL>
<LI><A HREF="http://lists.perl.org/">http://lists.perl.org/</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.perl.org/support/mailing_lists.html">http://www.perl.org/support/mailing_lists.html</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.nntp.perl.org/">nntp.perl.org</A> - browseable web archives (and NNTP gateway) of many of the Perl lists.
</UL>
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="Where_find_Perl_training">Where can I find Perl courses/training/on-line tutorials?</A></H3>
<P>
<H4>Training</H4>
<UL>
<LI><A HREF="http://training.perl.com/"> http://training.perl.com/</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.perl.org/phbs/training.html"> http://www.perl.org/phbs/training.html</A>
</UL>
<P>
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="How_join_mongers">How do I find/join/organise a Perl User Group?</A></H3>
<P>
The Perl User Groups are known as "Perl Mongers" and have active groups all over the world. You can
find an established group at <A HREF="http://www.pm.org/groups.shtml">http://www.pm.org/groups.shtml</A>
or start a new group if one isn't near you via <A HREF="http://www.pm.org/start.shtml">http://www.pm.org/start.shtml</A>
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="What_history_Perl">Where can I find a history of Perl releases or a general history of the Perl community?</A></H3>
<P>
A history of Perl releases can be found in your Perl distribution via <TT> perldoc perlhist </TT> or via 
the web at <A HREF="http://theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca/CPAN/perl/pod/perlhist.html">http://theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca/CPAN/perl/pod/perlhist.html</A>.
<P>
A more general history of the Perl community, CPAST, can be found at <A HREF="http://history.perl.org/">http://history.perl.org/</A>.
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="Download_module_corrupt">I downloaded a module/script/file but it was corrupt, what should I do?</A></H3>
<P>
Many CPAN filenames end in .tar.gz.  Unfortunately some programs mutilate such names 
(e.g., rename them with _tar.tar) so that unpacking programs don't recognise them and refuse to unpack
them.  Try saving the file using the .tgz suffix or try changing your web client.  Also, you could 
try a plain FTP client as almost all the CPAN sites are ftp-reachable.  You can find the full list 
of mirrors <A HREF="http://www.cpan.org/SITES.html">http://www.cpan.org/SITES.html</A>
<P>
If you use FTP remember to download in binary format, not text format.
<P>
Please read <A HREF="http://www.cpan.org/ENDINGS">http://www.cpan.org/ENDINGS</A> if you aren't sure
what the files should be unpacked with and want to know if you are using the right program.
<P>
If you still think you have a corrupt file, try downloading the file from another site. If you still
have no satisfaction, then please let us know the exact file name and URL/FTP site and path.
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="Help_me_obi_wan">How do I use module Foo::Bar, can you help? (a.k.a. Are you a helpdesk?)</A></H3>
<P>
We at CPAN are not a helpdesk. We may point you towards a plethora of documentation
to help you in your quest for knowledge but we cannot debug your code or read for you. We exist 
specifically to answer questions and solve problems relating directly to the functioning of the CPAN 
itself.
<P>
In addition to the on-line documentation you might try the newsgroup comp.lang.perl.modules for help 
with a particular module. Also, looking at other code using the same module might prove enlightening.
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="What_search_down">I'm having trouble with search.cpan.org, whom do I need to contact?</A></H3>
<P>
If you are experiencing difficulty using search.cpan.org due to network or server errors, you need to contact
<A HREF="mailto:webmaster@search.cpan.org">webmaster@search.cpan.org</A>. 
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="How_search_CPAN">How do I search for anything on CPAN?</A></H3>
<P>
By using a CPAN search engine.<BR>
<P>
<UL>
<LI><A HREF="http://perldoc.perl.org">http://perldoc.perl.org/</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/">http://search.cpan.org/</A> - Graham Barr's search engine which can 
search for modules, distributions or authors in all of CPAN.
<LI><A HREF="http://kobesearch.cpan.org/">http://kobesearch.cpan.org/</A> - Randy Kobes' search engine that 
can also search all of CPAN for modules, documentation, etc.
</UL>
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="How_search_module_documentation"> How do I search for module/script documentation? (also known as "How do I use ..."?)</A></H3>
<P>
In general modules and scripts come with their own documentation which should have been installed 
along with your module/script.  (Thanks to Perl's <TT>pod</TT>-style documentation, "it is 
very hard to misplace your documentation".)
<P>
<UL>
<LI><TT>perldoc Module::Name</TT>
<LI><TT>perldoc scriptname</TT>
<LI><A HREF="http://perldoc.perl.org">http://perldoc.perl.org/</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://search.cpan.org">http://search.cpan.org/</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://kobesearch.cpan.org/">http://kobesearch.cpan.org/</A>
</UL>
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="How_find_news_item">How do I find Ralph Nader? (a.k.a. We're C-P-A-N not C-S-P-A-N!)</A></H3>
<P>
You dialed the wrong number. The place you are looking for is <A HREF="http://www.cspan.org/">http://www.cspan.org/</A>.
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="How_contribute_modules">How do I contribute modules to CPAN?</A></H3>
<P>
If you would like to learn more about PAUSE and how to go about contributing your module to CPAN 
please read the PAUSE FAQ at <A HREF="http://www.cpan.org/modules/04pause.html">
http://www.cpan.org/modules/04pause.html</A> which will tell you how to go about getting a PAUSE ID 
and the steps needed to upload your code. Also,<A HREF= "http://theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca/CPAN/perl/pod/perlmodlib.html">
<TT>perldoc perlmodlib</TT></A> and <A HREF="http://theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca/CPAN/perl/pod/perlmod.html">
<TT>perldoc perlmod</TT></A> are a good introduction to Perl modules.
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="Does_CPAN_allow_shareware">Does CPAN allow contributions of shareware or code that requests
a fee of any kind?</A></H3>
<P>
No. Everything on CPAN is free of charge. The reason for this is that CPAN is the product of 
hundreds of people donating their time and resources for the common good of the Perl community. 
There are places on the net where one can offer shareware without treading on the generosity of
others and this is not that place.
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="How_contribute_scripts">How do I contribute scripts to CPAN?</A></H3>
<P>
CPAN has a scripts repository at <A HREF="http://www.cpan.org/scripts/">http://www.cpan.org/scripts/</A>
and <A HREF="http://www.cpan.org/scripts/submitting.html">http://www.cpan.org/scripts/submitting.html</A>
will instruct you on how to go about contributing your scripts.
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="How_contribute_documentation">How do I contribute documentation to CPAN?</A></H3>
<P>
If the documentation is for a particular module that isn't a core distribution module, then please
send it to the module author. If the module is a core module the most appropriate place to send 
doc patches and enhancements is the Perl5Porters mailing list. 
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="How_report_bug_Perl">How do I report/fix a bug in Perl and/or its documentation?</A></H3>
<P>
Always remember to make your bug reports as detailed as possible.  "Perl doesn't work." is not a 
bug report.
<BR>
Please note that problems concerning modules that are installed separately from the Perl distribution
(such as Tk) are reported differently.
<P>
Here is a checklist from <A HREF="http://theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca/CPAN/perl/utils/perlbug.html">perlbug</A>,
a bug reporting tool included in your Perl distribution. It is a bit on the long side, but please read
it carefully as the better your bug report is, the more likely the issue will be addressed.
<P><UL>
<LI><B>What version of Perl you are running?</B>
<P>
Try<TT> perl -v </TT>at the command line to find out.
<P>
<LI><B>Are you running the latest released version of perl?</B>
<P>
Look at <A HREF="http://www.perl.com/pub">http://www.perl.com/</A> to find out.  If it is not the latest
released version, get that one and see whether your bug has been fixed. Note that bug reports about 
old versions of Perl, especially those prior to the 5.0 release, are less likely to be incorporated 
into the source as Perl1 through Perl4 are largely unmaintained.
<P>
<LI><B>Are you sure what you have is a bug?</B>
<P>
A significant number of the bug reports we get turn out to be documented features in Perl.  Make sure 
the behavior you are witnessing doesn't fall under that category, by glancing through the 
<A HREF="http://perldoc.cpan.org">documentation</A> that comes with Perl (we'll admit this is no 
small task, given the sheer volume of it all, but at least have a look at the sections that seem relevant).
<P>
Be aware of the familiar traps that perl programmers of various hues fall into.  See the 
<A HREF="http://theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca/CPAN/perl/pod/perltrap.html">perltrap</A> documentation.
<P>
Check in <A HREF="http://theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca/CPAN/perl/pod/perldiag.html">perldiag</A> 
to see what any Perl error message(s) mean. If message isn't in perldiag, it 
probably isn't generated by Perl.  Consult your operating system documentation instead.
<P>
If you are on a non-UNIX platform check also 
<A HREF="http://theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca/CPAN/perl/pod/perlport.html">perlport</A> documentation, some 
features may not be implemented or work differently.
<P>
Try to study the problem under the Perl debugger,if necessary.  See the 
<A HREF="http://theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca/CPAN/perl/pod/perldebug.html">perldebug</A> documentation.
<P>
<LI><B>Do you have a proper test case?</B>
<P>
The easier it is to reproduce your bug, the more likely it will be fixed, because if no one can 
duplicate the problem, no one can fix it. A good test case has most of these attributes: fewest 
possible number of lines; few dependencies on external commands, modules, or libraries; runs on 
most platforms unimpeded; and is self-documenting.
<P>
A good test case is almost always a good candidate to be on the perl test suite.  If you have the
time, consider making your test case so that it will readily fit into the standard test suite.
<P>
Remember also to include all the exact error messages, if any.  "Perl complained something" is
not an exact error message.
<P>
If you get a core dump (or equivalent), you may use a debugger (dbx, gdb, etc) to produce a
stack trace to include in the bug report. NOTE: unless your Perl has been compiled with debug
info (often -g), the stack trace is likely to be somewhat hard to use because it will most probably 
contain only the function names and not their arguments.  If possible, recompile your Perl with 
debug info and reproduce the dump and the stack trace.
<P>
<LI><B>Can you describe the bug in plain English?</B>
<P>
The easier it is to understand a reproducible bug, the more likely it will be fixed.  
Anything you can provide by way of insight into the problem helps a great deal.
In other words, try to analyze the problem (to the extent you can) and report your discoveries.
<P>
<LI><B>Can you fix the bug yourself?</B>
<P>
A bug report which includes a patch to fix it will almost definitely be fixed.  Use the diff 
program to generate your patches (diff is being maintained by the GNU folks as part of the 
diffutils package, so you should be able to get it from any of the GNU software repositories).  
If you do submit a patch, the cool-dude counter at perlbug@perl.com will register you as a
savior of the world.  Your patch may be returned with requests for changes, or requests for more
detailed explanations about your fix.
<P>
Here are some clues for creating quality patches:<BR>
Use the -c or -u switches to the diff program (to create a so-called context or unified diff).  Make
sure the patch is not reversed (the first argument to diff is typically the original file, the second
argument your changed file).  Make sure you test your patch by applying it with the patch program
before you send it on its way.  Try to follow the same style as the code you are trying to patch.
Make sure your patch really does work (make test, if the thing you're patching supports it).
<P>
<LI><B>Can you use perlbug to submit the report?</B>
<P>
perlbug will, amongst other things, ensure your report includes crucial information about your 
version of perl.  If perlbug is unable to mail your report after you have typed it in, you may
have to compose the message yourself, add the output produced by perlbug -d and email it to
perlbug@perl.com.  If, for some reason, you cannot run perlbug at all on your system, be sure to
include the entire output produced by running perl -V (note the uppercase V).
<P>		
Whether you use perlbug or send the email manually, please make your Subject line informative.
"a bug" is not informative.  Neither is "perl crashes" nor "HELP!!!"  These don't help.  
A compact description of what's wrong is fine.
<P>
Having done your bit, please be prepared to wait, to be told the bug is in your code, or even to get
no reply at all.  The Perl maintainers are busy folks, so if your problem is a small one or if it
is difficult to understand or already known, they may not respond with a personal reply.  If it is
important to you that your bug be fixed, do monitor the Changes file in any development
releases since the time you submitted the bug, and encourage the maintainers with kind words (but
never any flames!).  Feel free to resend your bug report if the next released version of perl comes
out and your bug is still present.
</UL>
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="How_report_bug_module">How do I report/fix a bug in a module/script?</A></H3>
<P>
Please contact the author of the module/script. The documentation of the module/script should 
contain a contact address or you can try <TT> CPANID@perl.org </TT> where CPANID is the authors
CPANID.
<P>
Most of the checklist in <A HREF="#How_report_bug_Perl">reporting bugs in Perl</A> above applies 
for modules as well. Make your bug report as good as possible if you really want the bug fixed.
If the module is included with the Perl distribution you should also follow the Perl bug reporting
tips.
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="How_maintain_module">How do I go about maintaining a module when the author is unresponsive?</A></H3>
<P>
Sometimes a module goes unmaintained for a while  due to the author pursuing other interests, being
busy, etc. and another person needs changes applied to that module and may become frustrated when 
their email goes unanswered. CPAN does not mediate or dictate a policy in this situation and rely
on the respective authors to work out the details. If you treat other authors as you would like
to be treated in the same situation the manner in which you go about dealing with such problems
should be obvious. 
<UL>
<LI>Be courteous.</LI>
<LI>Be considerate.</LI>
<LI>Make an earnest attempt to contact the author.</LI>
<LI>Give it time. If you need changes made immediately, consider applying your patches to the
current module, changing the version and requiring that version for your application. Eventually the 
author will turn up and apply your patches, offer you maintenance of the module or, if the author 
doesn't respond in a year, you may get maintenance by having interest.</LI>
<LI>If you need changes in order for another module or application to work, consider making the
needed changes and bundling the new version with your own distribution and noting the change well 
in the documentation. Do not upload the new version under the same namespace to CPAN until the
matter has been resolved with the author or CPAN.</LI>
</UL>
<P>
Simply keep in mind that you are dealing with a person who invested time and care into something. A
little respect and courtesy go a long way.
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="How_adopt_module">How do I adopt or take over a module already on CPAN?</H3>
<P>
The easiest way to take over a module is to have the current
module maintainer either make you a co-maintainer or transfer
the module to you.
</P
<P>
If you can't reach the author for some reason (e.g. email bounces),
the PAUSE admins at modules@perl.org can help. The PAUSE admins
treat each case individually.
</P>
<UL>
<LI>
Get a login for the Perl Authors Upload Server (PAUSE) if you don't
already have one: http://pause.perl.org
</LI>
<LI>
Write to modules@perl.org explaining what you did to contact the
current maintainer. The PAUSE admins will also try to reach the
maintainer.
</LI>
<LI>
Post a public message in a heavily trafficed site announcing your
intention to take over the module.  Potential places are
http://use.perl.org/, http://www.perlmonks.org/, and any appropriate
mailing lists or web forums.
</LI>
<LI>
Wait a bit. The PAUSE admins don't want to act too quickly in case
the current maintainer is on holiday. If there's no response to
private communication or the public post, a PAUSE admin can transfer
it to you.
</LI>
</UL>

<H3><A NAME="Where_is_testers">Is there a site for module bug reports/tests?</A></H3>
<P>
Yes, through the diligence of Paul Schinder and a few others, we have <A HREF="http://testers.cpan.org/">
CPAN Testers</A> which is a collection of test results for modules on a number of different platforms.
This information is also available when viewing module information on <A HREF="http://search.cpan.org/"> CPAN
search</A>.
<P>
There is also <A HREF="http://bugs.perl.org/">http://bugs.perl.org/</A> where you might search for a
module bug already reported to P5P. 
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="Plans_for_statistics">Does CPAN provide download statistics for authors?</A></H3>
<P>
No we don't. <A HREF="http://xxx.lanl.gov/help/faq/statfaq">http://xxx.lanl.gov/help/faq/statfaq</A> sums up 
our thoughts on the matter quite well.
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="How_mirror_CPAN">How do I mirror CPAN?</A></H3>
<P>
Either an FTP or rsync client will do. Scantily clad virgins and pale moonlight are optional and are not included
in the sales price.
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="What_do_I_need">What do I need to mirror CPAN?</A></H3>
<P>
<UL>
<LI>"Good" Internet connectivity, e.g. better than a 14.4 modem but not so much as an OC3.
<LI>Around 1GB of storage space. <A HREF="http://www.cpan.org/indices/du-k.gz">http://www.cpan.org/indices/du-k.gz</A>
 tells you the current size of the CPAN.
<LI>An FTP or rsync client.
<P>
	<UL>
	 <LI>For FTP there is a Perl script named mirror (which assumes a command line FTP client):
	 <BR>
	<A HREF="http://sunsite.org.uk/packages/mirror/">http://sunsite.org.uk/packages/mirror/</A>
	<P>
	<B>The FTP address for the CPAN master site is:</B><BR>
	<A HREF="ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/">ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/</A>
	<P>
	<LI>and for rsync:
	<BR>
	<A HREF="http://rsync.samba.org/">http://rsync.samba.org/</A>
	<P>
	<B>The rsync addresses for the CPAN master site are:</B>
	<BR>
	<TT>ftp.funet.fi::CPAN</TT> or <TT>ftp.sedl.org::cpan</TT>
	<P>
	Once you have the rsync client installed on your system and the disk space mapped out, you may then
	add an entry to your crontab [ if using UNIX, AT if using Windows NT ] like the following example:
	<P>
	<TT>0 20 * * * /usr/local/bin/rsync -av --delete ftp.funet.fi::CPAN /project/CPAN/</TT>
	<P>
	<TT>AT 20:00 /every:M,T,W,Th,F,S,Su "C:\Program Files\Rsync\rsync -av --delete ftp.funet.fi::CPAN /project/CPAN/"</TT>
	</UL>

<P>Please make sure your rsync uses at least protocol version 30 ;
   use the command 'rsync --version' to find out.  You can
   get the latest rsync from 'http://rsync.samba.org/'.
</P>

<P>
About rsync frequency: once a day is fine and enough; once every hour is far, far too often.
</P>

</UL>
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="Which_site_mirror">Which CPAN site should I mirror?</A></H3>
<P>
The one that gives the best bandwidth (where your mirror finishes quickest) and which is most up-to-date. 
Most up-to-date is, by definition, the CPAN master site <TT>ftp.funet.fi</TT>. Note that it lives in the 
GMT+2 timezone so please try not to mirror during working hours: 0600 to 1400 GMT/UTC.  
If you want to mirror from somewhere else, check the list at 
<A HREF="http://www.cpan.org/SITES.html">http://www.cpan.org/SITES.html</A>
<P>	
Please organize the mirroring with the corresponding FTP maintainer (their email addresses from the file
<A HREF="http://www.cpan.org/MIRRORED.BY">http://www.cpan.org/MIRRORED.BY</A>) so that you will not 
overload their site and that your mirror starts just after theirs has finished.
<P>
A few tips to keep in mind:
<UL>
<LI>For your mirror site to be useful to your users you should mirror daily.
<LI>You can also provide a HTTP interface in addition to an FTP interface to CPAN if you wish to do so.
<LI>Consider also giving rsync access to your mirror.  Many people like rsync because it's very bandwidth-friendly. 
<LI>Remember to tell cpan@perl.org about all the access methods you provide to your mirror: ftp, http, or rsync 
(or any other methods).
</UL>
<HR>
<H3><A NAME="How_register_mirror">How do I register my mirror to make it a public resource?</A></H3>
<P>
If you want to publicize your CPAN mirror (meaning that your mirror is publicly available),
please fill in the following template which can be found from the top of the file
<A HREF="http://www.cpan.org/MIRRORED.BY">http://www.cpan.org/MIRRORED.BY</A>:
<P>
<PRE>
hostname.of.the.CPAN.mirroring.site:
  frequency        = "daily/bidaily/.../weekly"
  dst_directory    = "the.same.host.name:/CPAN/mirror/directory/"
  dst_location     = "city, (area?, )country, continent (lon lat)"
  dst_organisation = "full organisation name"
  dst_timezone     = "GMT[+-]n"
  dst_contact      = "email.address.to.contact@for.this.mirror"
  dst_src          = "from.which.host:/is/this/site/mirroring/from/"
  dst_notes        = "(optional field) access restrictions, for example?"
</PRE>
<P> There are plenty of examples of how to fill in the template file.
When your template is ready, please send it to cpan@perl.org and you
will be registered.</P>
<HR>
<P>
<SMALL>Copyright Jarkko Hietaniemi <TT>&lt;jhi@iki.fi&gt;</TT> and
Elaine Ashton <TT>&lt;hfb@chaos.wustl.edu&gt;</TT> 1998-2007
All Rights Reserved.</SMALL>
</P>
<HR>