How run a daemon as non-root user

halfbaked has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

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Re: How run a daemon as non-root user by fmerges (Chaplain) on Dec 05, 2008 at 20:40 UTC
Hi, I think you're a bit confused... the fact that you use Proc::PID::File has nothing to do with a daemon, is just to make more handy the manipulation of pid files, like File::Pid does. Easy way to convert a program into a daemon is using Proc::Daemon. Then for Debian and derivates, like Ubuntu see the man page of start-stop-daemon and be ready to write a small Bash script, it even allows you to create the pid file, or "daemonize" your process. Regards, fmerges at irc.freenode.net	[reply]
Re: How run a daemon as non-root user by SilasTheMonk (Chaplain) on Dec 05, 2008 at 20:12 UTC
How exactly are you starting the daemon process? I would probably use the files in /etc/init.d and /etc/r.*. These in turn depend on start-stop-daemon, which has a man page. I think you would want the --chuid option.	[reply]
Re^2: How run a daemon as non-root user by halfbaked (Sexton) on Dec 06, 2008 at 01:51 UTC
Yeah I'm starting them with /etc/init.d I think my issue is that I don't know how to create a user with the proper permissions to create a pid /var/run Maybe I should be searching Debian docs on how to do this. Thanks for everyone's help.	[reply]
Re^3: How run a daemon as non-root user by halfbaked (Sexton) on Dec 06, 2008 at 02:21 UTC
OK, I figured it out. It wasn't a Perl question, but rather a Linux question. All I had to was to chown the pid file to the user that's starting the process. It seems so obvious now. Thanks everyone. You'd think that after working in technology for almost 12 years that I wouldn't have to ask stupid questions, but ... Linux admin has never been my strong suit.	[reply]
Re: How run a daemon as non-root user by zentara (Cardinal) on Dec 05, 2008 at 20:49 UTC
Ubuntu lets users control root programs with sudo. What you do is put your username and program in the /etc/sudoers file, and I believe there is a nopasswd option, so you don't need to enter the passwd everytime, like with su. Google for "/etc/sudoers" and read the tutorials. If you set it up right, you keep the root perms on the daemon script, and run it, as a user, with "sudo myscript". It should launch with root permissions. I'm not really a human, but I play one on earth Remember How Lucky You Are	[reply]
Re^2: How run a daemon as non-root user by duckyd (Hermit) on Dec 05, 2008 at 21:38 UTC
Unless I read the original post incorrectly, the poster is explicitly trying to avoid launching the daemons with root permissions...	[reply]
Re^3: How run a daemon as non-root user by Joost (Canon) on Dec 05, 2008 at 22:25 UTC
Unless the programs the OP wants to run need root-permissions to do whatever it is they do, there isn't any need to run them as root. Daemonizing does not require root permissions in any sane system. "What should it profit a man, if he should win a flame war, yet lose his cool?"	[reply]
Re^4: How run a daemon as non-root user by halfbaked (Sexton) on Dec 06, 2008 at 01:46 UTC
Re^5: How run a daemon as non-root user by JavaFan (Canon) on Dec 06, 2008 at 02:26 UTC
Re^3: How run a daemon as non-root user by zentara (Cardinal) on Dec 06, 2008 at 17:05 UTC
Both su and sudo allow you to run as another user, usually root, but not neccessarily. See sudo allows users to run programs with the security privileges of another user (normally the superuser, aka. root). I'm not really a human, but I play one on earth Remember How Lucky You Are	[reply]