Re: [NOT OFFTOPIC] Re: groups

Feuer (feuer@his.com)
Mon, 07 Sep 1998 00:11:18 -0400

Seems to me that user-manageable groups would not eliminate the need for ACLs,
but that it does complement them, allowing additional flexibility and ease of
use.  ACL=access control list, right?
Another question:  what reads /etc/group?  Is it the kernel or something else?  I
don't seem to recall much about it from APUE.  If it is the kernel, it may be
desirable to modify, in the kernel, the way the thing is handled to allow for the
concept of a manager of a group.  My current guess is that it is read by login,
but I'm not sure.  They are probably right that this is not really kernel
related, but IMHO this topic is worthy of discussion, possibly on
comp.os.linux.system or some such.

Tim Smith wrote:

> On 7 Sep 1998, Aaron Denney wrote:
> > > Is there any reason that normal users are not allowed to create and
> > > destroy groups?  I think it would be nice if a user could create a
> ...
> > Well, for one thing, this is not kernel related.  All the kernel does
>
> Yes, it *is* kernel releated, because the kind of problem solved by allowing
> normal users to create and destroy groups are some of the same problems that
> are solved by adding ACL support to the kernel and filesystem(s).  Discussion
> of ACLs is kernel related, and so discussion of mechanisms that might reduce
> or eliminate the need for ACLs is also kernel related, even if a particular
> such mechanism is outside the kernel.  The kernel does not exist in a
> vacuum.
>
> --Tim Smith
>
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