I want to write a setuid script that calls 'dip' to make a SLIP
connection, does a couple of other things (like running 'netdate'),
and exits.  The problem *seems* to be that, when 'dip' forks to do
it's network configuration stuff, the uid doesn't get carried along.
I tried setting $< to $>, but that didn't help.  In fact, here's the
whole script:

#!/usr/bin/perl

$< = $>;
$( = $);
exec "/sbin/dip /usr/local/etc/wu.dip";
# Set clock
exec "/usr/sbin/netdate ns";

Can anyone see where my mistake is?  I can run it as root, of course
(it's my machine :), but I'm getting tired of su'ing everytime I lose
the connection.

BTW, I'm running perl 4.0.1.8, patch level 36, under Linux (Slackware
1.2, kernel 1.0.8).

Thanks.
--
John A. Breen                   |

Hmmm .. where is the fork?
If your problem is that dip works but netdate doesn't, just remember
that netdate is never executed! Try fork()ing first before
you exec dip, and wait() for dip to complete before you exec netdate.

Guntram

The fork is in dip itself.  Near as I can tell, dip dials the modem,
makes the connection, then forks to do the actual interface config and
route setup.  At least these are the parts that I get errors on when I
run it under a non-root account (and yes, I'm pretty sure I have the
protection of the script set correctly; dip won't normally run at all
unless you're root).

Yes, sorry about that :-).  I had been using system(), but changed to
exec() to see if it made any difference.  I forgot to change it back
before I posted.  But no, the problem isn't that netdate doesn't run.
It's a privilege violation inside dip itself.  I've been assuming that
it's because the process that dip forks is no longer running as root.
--
John A. Breen         | I teleported home one night with Ron & Sid & Meg.

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