Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cmcl2!adm!xadmx!niuvax!sys1@antares.mcs.anl.gov
From: niuvax!sys1@antares.mcs.anl.gov (Systems Programmer)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re:  What kinds of things would you want in the GNU OS?
Message-ID: <19812@adm.BRL.MIL>
Date: 31 May 89 04:36:51 GMT
Sender: news@adm.BRL.MIL
Lines: 34


     The memories have gotten a bit fuzzy with time, but in TSS/360 it
was possible for the system administrator (as opposed to the systems
programmer or the operator) to join (was that the right command?) users
who were "subadministrators" (or some such) who could, in turn, join
ordinary users to the system.  Subadministrators could take a conside-
rable load off the system administrator's back in handling ordinary
users' account/logonid maintenance.  Subadministrators, however, could
join *only* ordinary users (if I remember right), not other adminis-
trators of any sort.  
     I take care of five computers running three operating systems and
only one is UNIX (this one :-).  It would be a big help to me if client
departments could take care of the routine stuff, provided they had no
way to add privileged users, i.e. nobody added to certain groups like
staff, wheel, operator, and nobody added with certain uid numbers. 
Perhaps a facility for handling multiple, limited-function, sub-
/etc/passwd equivalent files would be a method, though I'm sure there
are others and probably better ones.  Obviously, limitations would
have to apply to the rest of the /etc/passwd-style information as well.

                                       Scott Bennett
                                       Systems Programming
                                       Northern Illinois University
                                       DeKalb, Illinois 60115
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