[geeks] root equivalent user

Mike Hebel nimitz at speakeasy.net
Thu Oct 24 16:56:48 CDT 2002


Greg A. Woods wrote:
> [[ I'll leave your lame ad hominem attack attempts alone -- for now ]]

It wasn't an attack - merely an observation and a question.

> That just doesn't make sense, nor does it seem to fit in any way with
> the orginal question here.

The issue is that you've got a user that needs root access.  From the 
tone of the original message it is implied that they do not want to give 
that user root access.  Thus it is a question of user security - 
physical because it deals with a person not software.

> 
>> You've wasted three 
>>days of this back and forth stuff shooting down everyone's ideas on 
>>whether or not to basically make another user root.
> 
> 
> No, I don't think so -- I've been trying to help people avoid the
> pitfalls of trying to _not_ give another user full root privileges.
> 

Yet you fail to accept anything but your view as valid.  There are other 
ways of doing things than the "Greg A. Woods Approved School of Admin".
I think you're the only admin that I've ever met that doesn't approve of 
sudo.

>> The problem is not 
>>one of limited access it's one of judgement and trust.
> 
> 
> Of course.  That's why the solution is _NOT_ one of making really stupid
> hacks to the system (including in most circumstances, installing sudo).

Really stupid how Greg?  People have been using sudo as well as other 
methods for quite some time without problems.  I think you're being too 
security conscious about this subject.  Remember - in the end there is 
no such thing as a secure computer.  Period.

>> As for 
>>installing software - if they're not trustworthy enough for full root 
>>why in the hell are they installing software for everybody anyway?
> 
> 
> That's a damn good question.  That's the point I've been trying to get
> across here.
> 
> Implied in my original answer was the suggestion that the person in
> question had to be trusted with full root access regardless.
> 

True but several "No you shouldn't do that!" answers do not help to 
solve the problem.

Mike Hebel



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