Alan.Gallatin@samba.acs.unc.edu (Alan Gallatin) (02/27/91)
My system administrator has decided not to install ELM on our DEC's (running Ultrix) for several months - if at all. However, he said that we are free to obtain copies of the program and run it out of our individual accounts if we so desire. I "so desire" but I don't have the slightest idea of what I need in terms of software and I know NOTHING about installation procedures. Could someone be so kind as to send me the appropriate information so I will be able to move 'up' from /usr/ucb/mail????? thanks... Alan M. Gallatin -------- alan@hercules.acpub.duke.edu (The Reply-To line above SHOULD be set to ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^)
rob@mtdiablo.Concord.CA.US (Rob Bernardo) (03/01/91)
alan@hercules.acpub.duke.edu wrote: > >My system administrator has decided not to install ELM on our DEC's >(running Ultrix) for several months - if at all. However, he said that >we are free to obtain copies of the program and run it out of our >individual accounts if we so desire. One thing to watch out for in a situation like this is that elm (at least on most systems) needs to run setgid to the group that owns the mail spool directory and you will need non-ordinary permissions to install it properly. -- Rob Bernardo Mt. Diablo Software Solutions email: rob@mtdiablo.Concord.CA.US phone: (415) 827-4301
meo@Dixie.Com (Miles ONeal) (03/02/91)
rob@mtdiablo.Concord.CA.US (Rob Bernardo) writes: [regarding building/using your own copy of elm] |One thing to watch out for in a situation like this is that elm (at least |on most systems) needs to run setgid to the group that owns the mail |spool directory and you will need non-ordinary permissions to install |it properly. Not necessarily. Many BSD-based systems, at least, have your mail file owned by you. As long as you have rw for it, you are set. Worst case is you set the variable that says don't delete an empty file, and use unix mail to create the first message in it. Outgoing mail in such cases is via one of the normal mail transport agents (eg, sendmail) which takes care of any other files you care about. -Miles meo@dixie.com meo@sware.com
syd@DSI.COM (Syd Weinstein) (03/02/91)
meo@Dixie.Com (Miles ONeal) writes: >rob@mtdiablo.Concord.CA.US (Rob Bernardo) writes: >[regarding building/using your own copy of elm] >|One thing to watch out for in a situation like this is that elm (at least >|on most systems) needs to run setgid to the group that owns the mail >|spool directory and you will need non-ordinary permissions to install >|it properly. >Not necessarily. Many BSD-based systems, at least, have your mail >file owned by you. As long as you have rw for it, you are set. Worst >case is you set the variable that says don't delete an empty file, >and use unix mail to create the first message in it. What it really comes down to is the permissions on the mail spool directory (so Elm can do locks)... If the spool directory is 775, or 2755 the elm must get setgid to the group of the mail spool. If its a BSD system and the permissions are 3777 then elm doesn't need to be setgid. If its not a BSD type and the permissions are x777, the mail spool is insecure. -- ===================================================================== Sydney S. Weinstein, CDP, CCP Elm Coordinator Datacomp Systems, Inc. Voice: (215) 947-9900 syd@DSI.COM or dsinc!syd FAX: (215) 938-0235
grahj@gagme.chi.il.us (jim graham) (03/04/91)
In article <1991Feb28.174956.6309@mtdiablo.Concord.CA.US> rob@mtdiablo.Concord.CA.US (Rob Bernardo) writes: >alan@hercules.acpub.duke.edu wrote: >>we are free to obtain copies of the program and run it out of our >>individual accounts if we so desire. >One thing to watch out for in a situation like this is that elm (at least >on most systems) needs to run setgid to the group that owns the mail >spool directory and you will need non-ordinary permissions to install >it properly. ok --- I've seen this comment come around several times, but I can't seem to prove that it's anything but false. someone please explain..... I compiled Elm (similar situations) on several UNIX systems at work in addition to my own. On each of these, I don't have root authority, or anything other than group staff....which is nothing. In Elm's config script, I simply told it that it would NOT be running setgid, and have yet to see a problem. The systems are a Sun 3/60 (or thereabouts) running the latest SunOS, a Sparc running SunOS, a pc/rt running aix, and a ps/2 running aix. Also, I don't think I ever made it setgid on my system, which is a VAXstation 3100 running Ultrix 4.1. I've never noticed anything wrong under any of these configs (except that the aix machines don't know where mail is really supposed to be stored, and required hacking of the Elm src). Have I just been lucky in not being on any of the "most systems" mentioned? or is there some feature that I'm not seeing, and not trying to use? please send comments via direct mail --- our newsfeed here died for a short term, and I'm more trusting of mail getting through than news.... I'll post a summary if there's a lot of response (which I'm hoping there will be). thanks in advance, Jim Graham ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Share and Enjoy! (Sirius Cybernetics Corporation, complaints division) 73, de n5ial TCP/IP: jim@n5ial.ampr.org --- 44.72.47.193 Packet: n5ial@wb9mjn (Chicago, IL USA) Internet: grahj@gagme.chi.il.us ------------------------------------------------------------------------------