Path: utzoo!utstat!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!bcm!tmc.edu!sob From: sob@tmc.edu (Stan Barber) Newsgroups: news.software.nntp Subject: Re: Why run nntpd as root? Keywords: inetd.conf nntpd Message-ID: <2601@gazette.bcm.tmc.edu> Date: 6 Nov 90 04:56:03 GMT References: <108260@convex.convex.com> Sender: usenet@bcm.tmc.edu Reply-To: nntp@tmc.edu Organization: Texas Medical Center, Houston, Texas Lines: 14 Nntp-Posting-Host: tmc.edu superuser access is somtimes needed to read the disk superblock to calcalate freespace (so nntp can reject xfers when the disk is too full) or to dig up the load average (so nntp can reject connections because the system is too busy). Your system may provide ways to get this information without running as root. Serious work has been done to make it possible to run nntpd as root with little worry of security problems. If anyone has evidence to the contrary, please forward them to "nntp@tmc.edu" Thanks -- Stan internet: sob@bcm.tmc.edu Director, Networking Olan uucp: {rutgers,mailrus}!bcm!sob and Systems Support Barber Opinions expressed are only mine. Baylor College of Medicine Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com