[mod.computers.vax] Priveleges: The Answer

STEINBERGER@SRI-KL.ARPA.UUCP (02/14/87)

The Answer to my previous querry is:  The entire image, and not just a
subroutine, must be installed with the desired priveleges.  Apparently
this is for security purposes - prevents users from linking to subs
with known privs and the interrupting the program while maintaining the
privileges.  I suppose I can live with this.

I wish it had been more clearly stated in the linker manual. Sigh. . .

-Ric S.

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ted@cgl.ucsf.edu@blia.UUCP (02/18/87)

In article <12278831839.8.STEINBERGER@SRI-KL.ARPA>, STEINBERGER@SRI-KL.ARPA (Richard Steinberger) writes:
> 
> The Answer to my previous querry is:  The entire image, and not just a
> subroutine, must be installed with the desired priveleges.  Apparently
> this is for security purposes - prevents users from linking to subs
> with known privs and the interrupting the program while maintaining the
> privileges.  I suppose I can live with this.

The other question was why the subroutine that did the $SETPRV didn't detect
the error when it couldn't set the requested privilege. The answer is that
the condition code returned in that case is SS$_NOTALLPRIV which has a
severity value of 1 (success) just like SS$_NORMAL. Thus, the test of
<.not. return-code> was false even though the return code wasn't SS$_NORMAL.
For this, the correct test would be <return-code .neq. SS$_NORMAL>.

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            Ted Marshall
            Britton Lee, Inc.
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