rdist - remote file distribution program

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It would be very useful if the source files could be also
be remote. This would give us the ability to control
distributions from a single "golden host" which has the
ability to rsh or ssh everywhere.

For example, we have a group of Linux machines, one of
which we'd like to make an /etc/passwd master for all other
Linux machines. Then we have a group of AIX machines, one
of which we'd like to make an /etc/passwd master for all
other AIX machines. Then we have other groups of machines
in a DMZ, and each group needs a restricted set of users
in /etc/passwd.
...And so on.

I.e. Groups of machines, each group with a master copy of
certain files which need to be distributed to other hosts
within that group.

The ability to have remote source files would allow us to
do all of this from a single host controlling distributions
between all other machines in the environment.

I'm not entirely sure what the syntax would have to look
like in the distfile. Maybe put a "hostname:" in front of
filenames to designate that they are remote. E.g.

(hosta:/etc/passwd hosta:/etc/shadow) -> (hostb hostc hostd)

would distribute /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow from remote
host "hosta" to remote hosts "hostb", "hostc" and "hostd".