working my way through the docs: perl_access woes

[Matt 'Goo Goo Dolls' Melton]

Greetings.

I've spent much of the last few days breaking into the 2.x
documentation and am now looking for help.

I'm not sure if this is required, but I can testify that the build I've
recently compiled, inn-CURRENT-20020814, is no longer compatible Perl
5.6.0. The module Sys::SysLog is out date; with a differing syntax.
A clear error to such effect is left in errlog, and the syslog shows
the server restarting over and over again.

At least i had an excuse for installing 5.8.0 this month.

My problem lies in the use of perl_access.

I first found it not documented that i had to put this directive within
the particular auth block of my readers.conf.

I am using the following idiot proof (?) script (chmoded 755 and owned
by news.news et al): 

#!/usr/bin/perl
require '/usr/cpfx/news/inn/lib/innshellvars.pl';
sub access {
	%return_hash = (
		"read" => "*", "post" => "local.*",
		"virtualhost" => "true", "key" => "pwd" );
	return %return_hash;
}

No errors are left in the errlog nor syslog, yet, after authentication
the connection simply dies. This happens with the supplied test
script nnrpd_access.pl, and a line of "*:Read Post:::*" within
nnrp.access.

My syslog is merely:
Aug 14 18:49:11 myhost nnrpd[30279]: hopeless.client.com (10.0.0.1)
connect
Aug 14 18:49:41 myhost nnrpd[30279]: SERVER perl filtering enabled

... With no further notices.

I wish not to burden, however I am at my whit's end trying to figure
out why, for what ever reason it maybe, the connection dies as such.
Would i be able to pick the brains - and indeed bones - of the correct
individuals into supplying me with a copy of a readers.conf and
perl_access script that do nothing but pass a hard coded connection
through; to which i will be working on.

This is my 4th auth engine todate - i have encapsulated qmail,
courierimap, and ezmlm - and look forward for creating a similar "kit"
availible for INN.

An ever faithful HS student,
Matt

Deepcool Internet Technologies
=|> matt at deepcool.net