Re: using tcpserver, tcpsvd for security

On Fri, Jan 02, 2004 at 08:08:33AM +0000, Payal Rathod wrote:
> Quite a few times I have to add or delete users or some specific system
> administrators tasks. When I am on leave or for official work outside I
> have to give the root password to others, which I don't like.
> One thing I can do is use sudo and give access to these tasks to a
> normal user. But somehow I never liked sudo. A friend suggested
> [logically] a method to me. If I can have a script running as root on a
> specific port which contains a small authentication module and which can
> add or remove users, I can allow a normal user to telnet to that port
> and use the script. [ I already have a part of this working for seeing
> squid logs ]. The script can be run using tcpserver/tcpsvd or likes. 
> Is this approach a good one or am I attempting something
> stupid?

You're not the first one thinking of this, take a look at ucspi-ipc.
 http://www.superscript.com/ucspi-ipc/intro.html

> I hope it is ok to discuss this here. Thanks a lot and bye. With warm
> regards,

It's fine with me, but maybe the ucspi list is more appropriate.
 http://www.superscript.com/lists.html#ucspi

Regards, Gerrit.