Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!decwrl!atha!aunro!edm!geoff
From: geoff@edm.uucp (Geoff Coleman)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.aix
Subject: Re: Where does getty get its information?
Message-ID: <1991Apr18.184800.26770@edm.uucp>
Date: 18 Apr 91 18:48:00 GMT
References: <6533@awdprime.UUCP> <1991Apr11.222123.36169@edm.uucp> <6635@awdprime.UUCP>
Organization: Unexsys Systems Inc
Lines: 37

In article <6635@awdprime.UUCP> jfh@greenber.austin.ibm.com (John F Haugh II) writes:
>In article <1991Apr11.222123.36169@edm.uucp> geoff@edm.uucp (Geoff Coleman) writes:
>>	What I've been asking for is to allow someone other than root to
>>own the ports but not just anybody. If I could have uucp own my 
>>bi-directional ports with permission 0660 and owned by uucp I would be 
>>happy. I can do this on SYS V r3 why not in AIX.
>
>You are correct that someone other than root should =ideally= own the
>ports, but the problem is that a random user ID cannot give a file back
>to its owner unless that process has root authority.  The reason is that
>the chown() system call is restricted to root privileges only.  Were
>that not the case (and it isn't in SVR3), it would be trivial to set a
>file to and from uucp ownership with a process that were merely setuid
>to uucp.  However, AIX does have POSIX_CHOWN_RESTRICTED set, as required
>by FIPS I believe, so the more SVR3-like technique of flipping between
>a non-root setuid UID and the real UID doesn't work due to the failing
>chown() call.
>-- 

	I'll agree with the above but why not add an entry into the tty 
database called owner. Then in the case where you want someone else
other than root to own a port you could change this attribute.
	If this were done then tsm/login/getty when it respawns
on a port could change the ownership to that attribute.  This would seem to
then allow the uucp programs to not have to be owned by root. 

Since tsm is already so big a few more lines of code shouldn't hurt it :-)


Geoff Coleman
Unexsys Systems

tsm = terminally sordid mess (anyone with a better explanation?)

>John F. Haugh II      |      I've Been Moved     |    MaBellNet: (512) 838-4340
>SneakerNet: 809/1D064 |          AGAIN !         |      VNET: LCCB386 at AUSVMQ
>BangNet: ..!cs.utexas.edu!ibmchs!auschs!snowball.austin.ibm.com!jfh (e-i-e-i-o)