Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mcsun!sunic!maxim!prc
From: prc@erbe.se (Robert Claeson)
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: Re: Which RDBMS need setUID root?  Informix?
Keywords: Unix, Security
Message-ID: <1023@maxim.erbe.se>
Date: 26 Nov 89 11:00:23 GMT
References: <6006@cbnewsh.ATT.COM> <1989Nov24.092221.15741@agsm.ucla.edu>
Organization: ERBE DATA AB, Jarfalla, Sweden
Lines: 20

In article <1989Nov24.092221.15741@agsm.ucla.edu>, ggordon@agsm.ucla.edu (Glen Gordon) writes:

> In article <6006@cbnewsh.ATT.COM> wcs@cbnewsh.ATT.COM (Bill Stewart ) writes:

> >We're trying to pick an RDBMS to do applications in a secure computer
> >environment, so we need to find one that doesn't use setUID root.
> >SetUID to some specific user is ok, but root is out.

> We are using Informix esqlc and 4gl on an HP9000 S850, 
> set-uid informix, and everything works  fine.  Given a few more details, 
> I am more than willing to help you figure out why it doesn't work for you.

As far as I know, Informix needs to be SUID root so it can bump the ulimit
out of sight. After having done that, it reverts to non-SUID. I believe you
cannot remove the SUID from informix, since it checks for error returns and
aborts if the ulimit couldn't be changed.

-- 
          Robert Claeson      E-mail: rclaeson@erbe.se
	  ERBE DATA AB