NetNews Usenet Archive 1993 #1/NN_1993_1.iso/spool/comp/text/frame/3920

Internet Message Format | 1993-01-12 | 5.2 KB

Path: sparky!uunet!spool.mu.edu!olivea!gossip.pyramid.com!pyramid!infmx!cortesi
From: [e-mail] (David Cortesi)
Newsgroups: comp.text.frame
Subject: Re: UNIX-PC-UNIX Conversion - How?
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 13 Jan 93 00:27:24 GMT
References: <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]>
Sender: [e-mail] (Usenet News)
Organization: Informix Software, Inc.
Lines: 115

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Steve Harding) writes:
>In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:
>>Here's what I do:
>>
>>1) format a 1.44 MB diskette on my PC
>>2) copy the FrameMaker file to it from my hard drive
>>3) put the diskette in my Sun SparcStation IPX
>>4) as root on the Sun type "mount -t /dev/fd0 /pcfs"
>>5) open the file as normal (filename looks like /pcfs/dos.doc)
>>6) save my work when finished to /pcfs directory
>>7) as root on the Sun type "umount /pcfs"
>>8) as root on the Sun type "eject"
>>9) take the disk bakc to my PC and start the cycle all over.
>
>One slight problem.  Many of us (especially in a controlled environment)
>don't have access to the root password.

You guys want the MNTDSK package by Mike Fuller.  It contains
a setuid program that makes mounting, formatting and ejecting diskettes
really easy on the sparc.  To put a frame file on diskette, you just:
    # insert a new diskette
    dosmount -fm
    # now your disk is formatted for DOS and mounted to /pcfs
    # save frame file to /pcfs/<filename>.doc
    dosmount -ue
    # disk is unmounted and ejected.

If it is a 1.44 diskette, use -h instead of -f; or omit the -[hf]
if the disk is already formatted and you just want to use it.

I picked up MNTDSK from either comp.sources.misc or alt.sources, I
forget which; search the usenet archives for it.  Here is an edited
version of the README file with the author's email address.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
                 About MNTDISK

MNTDISK is a package to allow users to perform basic operations on some type of
removable disk media in a reasonably secure manner.  Currently, Sun CD-ROM's
(both HSFS and UFS) and Sun floppy disks (both PCFS and UFS) are supported.
MNTDISK addresses various security issues such as:

device special files - MNTDISK checks for device special files on UFS floppy
    disks for users not in group wheel.

logging of user actions - MNTDISK uses syslogd(8) to log all actions such as
    mounting, unmounting, formatting, etc.

locking of disks - MNTDISK allows users to lock their disk so other users can't
    unmount it.

protection of disks - MNTDISK won't allow a user to format another user's disk
    unless he could anyway (ie., the device is world-writable, as is
    usually the case for floppies).

MNTDISK also performs various housekeeping tasks such as:

permissions on disks - MNTDISK fixes the ownership and permissions of UFS disks
    after newfs(8) is run.

exporting - MNTDISK runs exportfs automatically when a disk is mounted if NFS
    access is supported.

             Note on EOD (erasable optical disks)

Artecon EOD's (erasable optical disks) are "sort of" supported.  "Sort of"
means that it invokes Artecon's eodutil(1) to do some things.  Unfortunately,
Artecon is in the habit of adding, removing, and changing the functionality of
useful options to eodutil(1) from release to release, requiring that you keep
copies of different versions and edit the binaries to get rid of "Are you
sure?"  prompting, which MNTDISK already does.  If you want to use MNTDISK with
EOD's, it will require some hacking.

                 Note on PCFS

PCFS first appeared in SunOS 4.1.1.  So, if you are running 4.1 or earlier,
forget about it.  Also, NFS access is not supported for PCFS disks, so PCFS
disks can't be exported.

                 Legal Issues

Since this software was developed by me for NASA Lewis Research Center, it
cannot be copyrighted.  Hence, it is in the public domain.  Therefore, I can
make no demands about its use, although I would appreciate it if my name stays
attached to it.

Also, although I shouldn't have to say this, anything free comes with no
guarantee.  Thus, I take no responsibility for any damages that occur from the
use of this software or make any claims about its suitability for any purpose
whatsoever.

                Security Issues

Now, before you install this, say to yourself "Self -- do I really want to put
this software on my system?  Do I realize all the security issues involved?  Do
I care?"  If you are desperate enough to install set-uid root scripts on your
system to allow users to mount disks, the the answer is "I don't care".
Otherwise, you may want think about it.  Remember, any set-uid root software is
a potential security hole.  Also, until Sun fixes certain bugs in their OS, no
disk mounting software is going to be perfectly secure, anyway.

                  Reaching the Author

If you need to get ahold of me, I can be reached at the following e-mail
addresses (in order of preference):

          [e-mail]        (Internet)
          [e-mail]    (Internet)
          r3mjf1@akronvm             (BITNET)

Also, my snail-mail address is:
              Mike J. Fuller
              M/S 105-1
              NASA Lewis Research Center
              21000 Brookpark Road
              Cleveland, OH 44135-3191