more precise CDE / su question

From: Lucio Chiappetti <lucio_at_ifctr.mi.cnr.it>
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 15:16:57 +0200 (MET DST)

I am now able to refine the last pending question of my V5.0 vs V3.2 bunch.

On Mon, 10 Apr 2000, Lucio Chiappetti wrote:

> In general I like to be able to telnet as root into my machines, and
> also, when logged in at the console, to do "su" and become root, and
> then run some X based applications.
>
      I remember I did some changes on MY 3.2. with xdm systems namely

      - ptys in /etc/securettys
      - adding me to the system group
      - listing the machine name in /etc/X0.hosts
      - changes in /var/X11/xdm namely

        - in xdm-config set DisplayManager._0.authorize to false
          (also set DisplayManager._0.terminateServert to true)
        - in Xresources (changes of colours, font, greeting text)
        - in Xsetup_0 (also changes of look of login screen)

> I've done all this on the 5.0 system but the /var/X11/xdm (I suppose with
> CDE that's not used), of course I added my collegaue, not me, to the system
> group.
>
> However if he is logged at the console, su's root, and runs an X
> application, gets a "can't connect to server" unless he does an
> xhost +machinename BEFORE the su. The purpose of my changes was
> exactly to get rid of this.

The only hint I had was from Nikola Milutinovic :
> What is he using for DISPLAY? If it is not "local:0" then he's using IP
> socket, instead of UNIX domain and that requires specific allow.

DISPLAY is set to :0.0 when logged in as user, and is inherited as such when
su'ed to root. This is the same which happens also on my 3.2 system.

I suspect the trick on my xdm system was the authorize bit in
/var/X11/xdm/xdm-config. Essentially this disables the .Xauthority stuff and
uses xhost stuff instead.

At the time, I managed to customize my 3.2 systems using the following
documentation part of my DU 3.2 kit : the O'Reilly volume 8 "X Window System
Administrators Guide" and its DU 3.2 supplement X Window System Environment
(part AA-Q7RNA_TE).

I also have some Sun CDE manuals (but on our Suns nobody ever managed to
disable the need to do xhost before su).

Now my questions are :

  - what is the way to do the authorize trick under CDE ?

  - what are the right documents for CDE system configuration
    under Tru64 5.0 ? Are they available on-line ? If not what are
    their part numbers so that we could order them ?

  - are the release notes for upgrade from 3.2 to 4.x to 5.0 available
    on line or elsewhere ? I have always been a keen reader of such stuff
    (read and be suspicious before you upgrade), but in this case we got
    a system from outside and without updated doc.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lucio Chiappetti - IFCTR/CNR - via Bassini 15 - I-20133 Milano (Italy)
For more info : http://www.ifctr.mi.cnr.it/~lucio/personal.html
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Received on Wed Apr 12 2000 - 13:20:45 NZST

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