If NIS is running, then passwd would theoretically function locally but use the NIS database. The issue therefore becomes enabling the non-priveleged user to do a privileged action. The C way of doing this is to write a program that:

- performs a setuid or setruid system call to become root

- performs further system calls, e.g. setpwinfo if Solaris, to set the password

and then set the sticky bit of the resulting executable to enable the setruid for the O/S.

I don't see a way to convert the setruid part into perl - I think instead you'd need to make it a linked-in C subroutine -- it is practically a one-liner in C anyway. Passwd::Solaris and Passwd:Linux provide the replacement for actually setting the password. PAR can create the required executable whose sticky bit should be set immediately after installation (e.g. in the manager's home) as before (setting the sticky bit of a perl script will probably be insufficient). See also PAR Tutorial. Alternative ways to make an executable from perl are perlcc and Perl2Exe.

Everything but the troll

In reply to Re: Running a remote passwd command. by DungeonKeeper
in thread Running a remote passwd command. by tweetiepooh

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