[SunHELP] Solaris Installation without Xwindows Support..

[Sheldon T. Hall]

Original Message From: "Chris David" <kchris_iii at hotmail.com>

> Thanks all for 'netra' help. Due to some security risks, i was told to
> install Solaris without X windows support? Have any one installed Solaris
8
> without X windows? If i install successfully, can i use some tools like
> Exceed to call gui (if required)?

I wouldn't think so.  If there's no "X windows" installed on the machine,
i.e. no /usr/openwin/bin or /usr/dt/bin or equivalent trees, Exceed wouldn't
have anything to talk to.  There wouldn't be a window manager, an xterm
program, or any of that stuff.

I'm not sure that X, in and of itself, is that big of a security risk.  The
rsh and rexec methods of starting an X client certainly are, but X itself?
Probably not.

Without rsh or rexec running (you can turn them off in /etc/inetd.conf, I
think), but _with_ the X stuff installed, anyone wanting the X gui could
still get it, but they would have to telnet in to the box to start it. That
would leave a much better audit trail than rsh or rexec do.

I'm no security expert, though.

-Shel