[unix-pc.bugs] Glitch in logging with PCOMM 1.2

kevin@kosman.UUCP (Kevin O'Gorman) (02/07/89)

I just got pcomm 1.2 loaded up with no problems.  I talk with my trailblazer
at all speeds, etc, etc..

However, when I tried to do a screen dump, it said it couldn't, which I
guessed meant the file had to already exist, so I touched it, and that
worked.

Next, I tried data logging, and I could not get that to work at all at first,
and there WAS NO ERROR MESSAGE.  The status line just wouldn't go to LOG ON.

It turns out that both problems were protection related.  I was running
pcomm from my Filecabinet directory (blush! yes, I use UA), which is
755 kevin users.  Pcomm is suid uucp bin, and cannot create files in that
directory.

This is easy to fix, of course, if you play as loose with protections as I
do. However, it could use an error message, and some warnings in the docs
about protections on the current working directory.  It would be nice if
the error message reminded you what directory we're talking about, too.

Otherwise, I love it, and I will finally get to throw away the phone manager,
which was only used for ATE anyway.  I do lots of calls to non-unix systems,
and I need to capture the data.  Nothing else I have would do it until
pcomm came along.  What's more, I can now try cranking this thing up to
19200, which is a real boon.

Once again, thanks, Emmet.  There ought to be an award for guys like you.

ssa@mrsvr.UUCP (Shahrooz S. Alavi) (02/08/89)

From article <552@kosman.UUCP>, by kevin@kosman.UUCP (Kevin O'Gorman):

> Once again, thanks, Emmet.  There ought to be an award for guys like you.

	I Agree.

	And while on the subject could someone send me archive #3 it got
	here truncated. (the last 600 lines were chopped off)

	Thanks

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egray@fthood.UUCP (02/10/89)

Reference: Permission problems with set-user-id Pcomm v1.2

Yeah, the Unix PC is broke when it comes to switching back and forth
between the real and effective user ID (oddly enough, it works fine with
the group ID!).

The reason for no error messages, is that the errors are being
discovered inside the pcomm_input routine, not in pcomm.  (I know that's
not a very good answer...  sorry)

Here is what I do on my system with HDB uucp.  I change the permissions
on the /usr/spool/locks directory to 775, change the permissions on the
/dev/ph1 device to 664 and then set the group ownership to a new group
called uucp.  (Is there already a group called "uucp"...  I can't
remember).  That way I can have Pcomm configured to be set-GROUP-id to
uucp instead of set-USER-id to uucp.  In this case, you don't need to
set the 'SETUID_BROKE' variable.

Pcomm can't correct a broken kernel...

Emmet P. Gray				US Army, HQ III Corps & Fort Hood
...!uunet!uiucuxc!fthood!egray		Attn: AFZF-DE-ENV
					Directorate of Engineering & Housing
					Environmental Management Office
					Fort Hood, TX 76544-5057