Run script as root from WebServer

[Mel]

On Monday 22 September 2008 22:51:26 Matias Surdi wrote:

> The problem is that some of these scripts deal with configuration files
> and some other tasks that require root privileges.

There's 2 alternatives I have used:
1) If the configuration files allow 'includes', then include a file that is 
writeable by the webuser. This will additionally allow you to restrict what 
the webserver can change in the config of this application. Note, that 
configuration files that are modifyable by root only, often are for a reason, 
so this does not improve the security of the service being configured, but it 
takes a fork() and sudo out of the mix.

2) If the changes do not need to be immediate, then you can put it in a queue 
directory and run a script through root's cron that picks up the queue and 
runs the commands there in. You then have the opportunity to remove scripts 
before they are run or even build in authorization.

-- 
Mel

Problem with today's modular software: they start with the modules
    and never get to the software part.