Root Permission

[LM_2]

I have a user who claims he needs to have the root password for the following reasons:


1. Compiling source code
2. Customizing Abaqus
3. Developing on 64bit environment with Tru64 OS
4. Customizing User environments


Item 1:
Many of the libraries available to us for Python have to be complied (on Tru64) in order for them to work. This can be done with gcc (an open source C compiler) and sometimes these libraries have to be tweaked depending on the platform they are built on.
This is an issue because installing source code by compiling OR even using the Redhat package manager requires the root account. It might take days or weeks of work to configure a systems environment suitable for our purposes using Tru64.


Item 2:
Customizing Abaqus requires root access. At this moment Abaqus cannot be customized on the ES45â s because root is not available to us for use. Customizing would include further automation of our post-processing utilizing the on job completions function in the environment file. Customizing parallel jobs in a distributed memory environment would require root for implementation.

The servers should handle 80% (currently 0%) of the post-processing by automation, eliminating as much of the intermediate steps as possible before the ODB is copied to the PC for viewing. We need a flexible environment for developing code to address all issues with different engine hardware. This sometimes requires developing special purpose modules or making modification to scripts to handle these exceptions.


Item 3:
The ES45â s are the only hardware available to us to do development work with Tru64

Item 4:
User environments need to be customizable. Setting up user profiles to utilize automation programs, scripts, modules, etcâ ¦ requires root privileges.


I was wondering if anyone else has been asked this and how they worked around it. I really do not want to give out the root password to a non IT person. We also currently do not have a C Compiler - does anyone know of any free ones which work good?? Any help would be app

[Roberto Polli · Accepted solution]

Hi,
bear in your hearth and in your mind the mantra:
"Unix gives you just enough rope to hang yourself - and then a couple of more
feet, just to be sure."

Remember that users need root password like a psychothic maniac needs bazooka.

1) you can configure rpm to allow users to install packages (see man pages pls.) in non-root directories. You can create a specific path in / where developers can do all they need to do.

2) with PAM you can allow a given root-program to be executed by non root users

3) this shouldn't be a problem.

4) You don't need to be root to modify user profile. You may grant privileges to some specific users on other users' config files


Peace, R.

[Victor Semaska]

If there's specific things that just have to be done in root, look at the sudo utility. It's available at:

http://www.courtesan.com/sudo/

Vic

[Ann Majeske]

Hi Lisa,

Roberto's answers appear to be HPUX specific, not Tru64, but otherwise he's right on target. Look into using dop (you don't say what version you're using, but for V5.1A the dop documentation is in the Security manual) or sudo to allow the user to use specific commands that require root privilege.

Ann

[Roberto Polli]

Ann,
/usr/sbin/dop
nice hint!
thru sysman menu it seems easy to configure.
I'll let you know.

Thanks Ann!

Peace, R.