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Re: executor file permissions (Linux)
>>>>> "Rob" == Rob Browning <osiris@cs.utexas.edu> writes:
Rob> The default setup has all the Executor files installed with
Rob> owner root. I guess this means that a normal user who
Rob> launches the program can't install or save files on the
Rob> default ExecutorVolume.
Well, although the owner is root, the permissions *should* allow
others to write in ExecutorVolume.
Rob> I've read the faq about setting up user specific folders in
Rob> their home directories. I guess I was just curious about the
Rob> handling of shared files since it'd be kind of a waste to
Rob> have to have a separate copy of every file for every user, or
Rob> kind of a pain to have to make a bunch of sym links every
Rob> time a new Mac program was installed.
If you symlink the directory, then you don't have to symlink all the
files.
Rob> Although this approach is very flexible, it's also somewhat
Rob> time consuming. Especially since when you install a program
Rob> you don't necessarily know which files are read-only and can
Rob> be installed in a shared area (or as a link) and which have
Rob> to be duplicated for each user..
Yes, but part of this problem is that the Mac isn't really set up for
multiple users, so applications that are written for the Mac aren't
really structured to have logical per-user and per-machine groupings.
Rob> Is there a better way I'm overlooking? Perhaps having a
Rob> shared folder and making Executor setgid for a specal group
Rob> for Executor users? If you had two licenses so that two
Rob> copies could be running at once, I guess there could be race
Rob> condition problems.
Race condition problems only occur where there is one file that is
being written by more than one user at a time. Unfortunately, the
Desktop Textures program directly manipulates the System file in order
to do its work, so either you need to make the System file read-only
(in which case Desktop Textures won't work) or give everyone his/her
own copy. Well behaved programs should modify files in the
"Preferences" folder within the System Folder, so if everyone has
his/her own Prefs folder there shouldn't be stompage there.
Eventually we'd like to make some scripts to allow new users to easily
be configured on multi-user systems (like Linux and NEXTSTEP), but
getting Executor 2 out the door is higher priority.
Rob> BTW What is the ConfigurationFolder, and what are the
Rob> DirectoryMaps? The FAQ mentions the variables, but doesn't
Rob> say what they do?
ConfigurationFolder is where to look for the ".ecf" files that our
preferences subsystem uses (Cmd-Shift-5 brings up the prefs panel).
The DirectoryMap variables say where to look for the .pag and .dir
files that Executor uses to map between folder numbers and folder
names, something that is trivial to do on native Macintosh filesystems
and which requires special mapping files under UNIX.
Rob> Thanks, and hope this is coherent enough to understand. (Am
Rob> I just making a mountain out of a molehill?) -- Rob
It's a legitimate problem, but we don't have too many site licenses
right now, so we don't worry too much about people who buy one copy of
Executor and have multiple users. Our license allows *any* one user at
a time (unless you pay for more), so it *is* something that we have to
address sometime, but it'll have to be after Executor 2 ships.
--Cliff
ctm@ardi.com
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