su - app_user from oracle cronjobs (in a script)

[Sammy_2]

I am running this script from oracle cron.
But within the script I need to su to another user and run that command as that user.How do I do it. See example below.
su - app_user -c command

If i run this command manually from the command line as oracle user, it asks me for a passwd of app_user, which I know but do not know how to put it in a script.
Help neeeded on this please.

[A. Clay Stephenson]

If you can run your cronjob as user root root then su will not prompt for a password.

[Mark Greene_1]

echo [password]|su - app_user -c command

HTH
mark

[Mladen Despic]

Let host=`hostname` and user=`whoami`.
If $user is not root, then
you can try this:

1. Edit ~app_user/.rhosts so it includes:

$host $user

2. As $user, run:

remsh $host -l app_user -n "command"

[Kevin Wright]

Put it in roots crontab.

[MANOJ SRIVASTAVA]

Hi SAM

run as a cron for root and then su to oracle or the user it wont ask for passwd.

Here is what I do to with my crons :


echo " merge started " | sendmail 5712157544@mobile.att.net
su - oracle -c "/home/oracle/report_bkup/ShutDB PBSCS" > /tmp/mergelog
su - oracle -c "/home/oracle/report_bkup/ShutDB PRTX" >> /tmp/mergelog
/usr/local/adm/bcv/umount_bcv.ksh bcvgrp1 M3 >> /tmp/mergelog
/usr/local/adm/bcv/umount_bcv.ksh bcvgrp2 M3 >> /tmp/mergelog
/usr/local/adm/bcv/merge_bcv.ksh bcvgrp1 M3 >> /tmp/mergelog
/usr/local/adm/bcv/merge_bcv.ksh bcvgrp2 M3 >> /tmp/mergelog
echo " merge completed " | sendmail 5712157544@mobile.att.net

/usr/local/adm/bcv/cond

exit


Manoj Srivastava

[Deshpande Prashant]

HI
If possible, run the script/command under application user's cronjob.

Prashant.

[Sammy_2]

Thanks for the responses. But I do not have access to root cron. I just have access to oracle and app_user cron and passwords. And so
I can't run it as root crontab. Is using root cron (and then su' ing to another user) only way to do it ?

The below command does not work as it still
prompts for a passwd.
=====================
$ id
uid=101(oracle) gid=101(dba) groups=102(www)
$ echo "password" | su - app_user -c halt_cmd
Password:
su: Sorry
==================

[Mark Greene_1]

yes, my apologies but piping the password through standard-in will not work. if you give the cron info to the admins who do have root access, it ought not to be a big deal for them to add it to root's crontab for you.

mark

[Mladen Despic]

Have you tried using remsh instead? See my previous post.

[Jean-Luc Oudart]

You can write a small C program that will call your script. compile as the target user and change set user bit on the exe.
You should have the relevant permissions.

You can restrict execution with ACLs if you wish to do so.

[Sanjay_6]

Hi Sam,

You can try expect to supply the password for the user id. You may have to look into more detail in this link to see if this suits your purpose,

http://expect.nist.gov/

Hope this helps.

Regds

[Sanjay_6 · Accepted solution]

Hi Sam,

Here is another link to download expect,

http://hpux.cs.utah.edu/hppd/hpux/Tcl/expect-5.33/

Hope this helps.

Regds

[Sammy_2]

Thanks everyone. I will just use root cron and su - app_user as suggested by most of you. Better than writing a c program and do remsh.