1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
3 @c $Id: become.texi,v 1.2 1998/01/12 16:41:31 mdw Exp $
5 @c Documentation for `become'
10 @c ----- Revision history ---------------------------------------------------
12 @c $Log: become.texi,v $
13 @c Revision 1.2 1998/01/12 16:41:31 mdw
14 @c Tidying for new release versions. Fix copyright date.
16 @c Revision 1.1 1997/09/18 11:16:34 mdw
17 @c Brand new Texinfo manual, with wider scope than the original LaTeX one.
20 @c ----- Standard boilerplate -----------------------------------------------
25 @setchapternewpage odd
35 @c ----- Useful macros ------------------------------------------------------
39 @c ----- Copyright matters --------------------------------------------------
41 @c --- The `Info' version ---
45 This file documents Become version @value{version}.
47 Copyright (c) 1998 European Bioinformatics Institute.
49 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this
50 manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are
51 preserved on all copies.
54 Permission is granted to process this file through TeX and print the
55 results, provided the printed document carries a copying permission
56 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
57 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
60 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
61 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
62 sections entitled `Copying' and `GNU General Public License' are
63 included exactly as in the original, and provided that the entire
64 resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a permission
65 notice identical to this one.
67 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
68 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions,
69 except that this permission notice may be stated in a translation
70 approved by the European Bioinformatics Institute.
74 @c --- Printed title page ---
78 @title The Become program
79 @subtitle Become version @value{version}
80 @author Mark Wooding (@email{mdw@@ebi.ac.uk})
83 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
85 Copyright @copyright{} 1997 European Bioinformatics Institute.
87 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this
88 manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are
89 preserved on all copies.
91 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
92 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
93 sections entitled `Copying' and `GNU General Public License' are
94 included exactly as in the original, and provided that the entire
95 resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a permission
96 notice identical to this one.
98 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
99 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions,
100 except that this permission notice may be stated in a translation
101 approved by the European Bioinformatics Institute.
106 @c --------------------------------------------------------------------------
108 @node Top, Copying, (dir), (dir)
112 Become is a system for managing shared accounts. It allows users to
113 `become' other users in order to do useful work. It can be managed on a
114 central server (or a small number of central servers), or it can run
117 This file documents Become version @value{version}.
122 * Copying:: Your rights to distribute and modify
123 * Introduction:: A brief introduction to Become
124 * Becoming someone else:: How to become somebody else
125 * Administering Become:: How to maintain Become
126 * Invoking Become:: Reference to Become's command line options
128 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
130 Becoming someone else
132 * Terminology:: Some important terms defined
133 * Environment:: Login styles and environment variables
134 * Group permissions:: How Become handles group permissions
135 * X authority:: Problems with X authority files
136 * Running commands:: Running commands other than a shell
138 How Become sets up the environment
140 * New environment variables:: Become adds some useful environment variables
141 * Login styles:: Choose how Become sets the environment
142 * Tweaking the environment:: Altering individual environment variables
143 * Removed variables:: Some environment variables aren't passed on
147 * The preserve style:: Preserve the current environment
148 * The set-user style:: Set user-specific variables (like @code{su})
149 * The login style:: Clear the environment (like @code{login})
151 How Become handles groups
153 * Primary group selection:: Setting the new primary group
154 * Subsidiary groups:: Setting subsidiary group memberships
156 Considerations for X authority
158 * The user-group method:: A secure method for handling X authority
159 * Using xauth:: A less secure method, which might be easier
161 Become administration
163 * Configuration files:: Overview of Become's configuration files
164 * Standalone or networked:: The two main types of Become installations
165 * The configuration file:: How to define who's allowed to do what
166 * Networked configuration:: Considerations for networked installations
168 The configuration file
170 * Basic syntax:: Quick overview of Become's syntax
171 * Classes:: Defining classes of things
172 * Predefined classes:: Become predefines some (maybe) useful classes
173 * Allow statements:: Allow users to become other users
174 * Other statements:: Some other useful statements
175 * Example configuration file:: An example, showing a few features.
176 * Complete grammar:: Complete grammar for Become config files
178 Networked configuration
180 * Choosing servers:: Which servers Become tries to talk to
181 * Setting up keys:: How to generate keys for Become
182 * Random number files:: Become keeps random number state around
183 * Issuing a new key:: How to issue new keys without disruption
187 * Invoking keygen:: How to use the @code{keygen} program
191 * Becoming another user:: Options for becoming another user
192 * Starting Become daemons:: Options for starting Become daemons
193 * Debugging options:: Options to use when Become goes wrong
196 @c --------------------------------------------------------------------------
197 @node Copying, Introduction, Top, Top
198 @unnumbered The GNU General Public License
204 @c --------------------------------------------------------------------------
205 @node Introduction, Becoming someone else, Copying, Top
206 @unnumbered Introduction
209 It's often useful to be able to share accounts between a number of
210 users. For example, a group maintaining an externally visible service
211 need to be able to start and kill the server process. Giving such a
212 shared account a password is a fairly bad plan: such passwords tend not
213 to get changed very often, and they have a habit of spreading beyond the
214 group of legitimate users.
216 The Become program presented here offers a solution to the problems of
217 shared accounts. It allows the system adminstrator to define which
218 users are allowed access to which accounts, on which hosts, and to
219 execute which commands. Such shared accounts can then, in general, have
220 their passwords removed.
222 This coincidentally has another advantage: when `becoming' to a shared
223 account, a user can retain her@footnote{Or his. I'll choose one or the
224 other fairly randomly throughout this manual.} own environment, which
225 she's carefully crafted and honed over the years, rather then being
226 presented with some lowest-common-denominator setup which probably
227 doesn't even use the right shell.
229 The configuration file for Become can either be distributed to all the
230 various hosts in a network or a few carefully set up and secure servers
231 (@pxref{Standalone or networked}).
234 @c --------------------------------------------------------------------------
235 @node Becoming someone else, Administering Become, Introduction, Top
236 @chapter Becoming someone else
239 The simplest way to become someone else is to say
246 Become will check to see whether you're allowed to become @var{user}. If you
247 are, it starts a shell process with the user-id set to @var{user}. Any
248 commands you type are executed with the privileges of @var{user}.
250 The full invocation is slightly more complicated:
253 become [@var{option}@dots{}] [@var{env-var}@dots{}] @var{user} [@var{command} [@var{arg}@dots{}]]
256 Actually, the @var{option}s, @var{env-var}s and @var{user} can be in any
257 order -- the important point is that all of them appear before the
258 @var{command}, if there is one.
261 * Terminology:: Some important terms defined
262 * Environment:: Login styles and environment variables
263 * Group permissions:: How Become handles group permissions
264 * X authority:: Problems with X authority files
265 * Running commands:: Running commands other than a shell
270 @node Terminology, Environment, Becoming someone else, Becoming someone else
273 The following terms get used quite a bit in the following text:
277 An invocation of Become, asking permission to become another user.
280 The (real) user id of the process which invoked Become; usually, this will be
284 The user whom you want to become, named in a request.
289 @node Environment, Group permissions, Terminology, Becoming someone else
290 @section How Become sets up the environment
292 There are thorny problems with handling the user's environment. It seems
293 that (the author's initial assessment notwithstanding) there is no single
294 best way of handling environment variables. As a result, Become can do just
295 about everything you might want it to. This gets slightly complicated.
296 Don't worry: it's not as hard as all that.
299 * New environment variables:: Become adds some useful environment variables
300 * Login styles:: Choose how Become sets the environment
301 * Tweaking the environment:: Altering individual environment variables
302 * Removed variables:: Some environment variables aren't passed on
306 @node New environment variables, Login styles, Environment, Environment
307 @subsection Environment variables created by Become
309 To help you (and, more importantly, your startup scripts) keep track of who
310 you are, and who you were originally, Become adds some variables to the
311 environment of any processes it starts.
315 The name of the target user (i.e., the user you are now). It might be useful
316 to test this value in shell startup scripts, for example.
319 The home directory of the target user. It can be handy to read startup and
320 other configuration files from here.
322 @item BECOME_OLD_USER
323 The name of the user who invoked Become.
325 @item BECOME_OLD_HOME
326 The home directory of the `old' user.
328 @item BECOME_ORIGINAL_USER
329 This is intended to be the name you logged in with. If it's unset, Become
330 sets it to be the same as @code{BECOME_OLD_USER}; otherwise it leaves it
333 @item BECOME_ORIGINAL_HOME
334 This is intended to be the home directory you logged in with. If it's unset,
335 Become sets it to be the same as @code{BECOME_OLD_HOME}; otherwise, it leaves
339 Don't even think about relying on these variables as a form of
340 authentication. It won't work. They're provided only to help organise
345 @node Login styles, Tweaking the environment, New environment variables, Environment
346 @subsection Login styles
348 Originally, Become always tried to preserve your environment. There's a
349 rational explanation for this approach, which is given in the description of
350 the `preserve' style below. Unfortunately, not everyone liked this
351 approach. As a result, there's now a collection of different login styles.
353 Login styles are selected by giving command line arguments:
358 The original style: try to preserve the existing user's environment as much
363 Set some user-specific variables, like @code{USER} and @code{HOME} to reflect
364 the target user rather than the old user. All other variables are preserved.
368 Attempts to make the `become' process as much like a real login as possible.
369 All variables not explicitly preserved are deleted, and a new environment is
370 built, reflecting the target user.
373 The various styles, and the reasons behind them, are described below.
376 * The preserve style:: Preserve the current environment
377 * The set-user style:: Set user-specific variables (like @code{su})
378 * The login style:: Clear the environment (like @code{login})
382 @node The preserve style, The set-user style, Login styles, Login styles
383 @subsubsection The `preserve' login style
385 You've spent many hours (days? weeks, even?) customising and honing your
386 startup files, learning how to use your shell, and tweaking your favourite
387 text editor until it's just the way you like it. So there can be few things
388 more annoying than logging into a shared account to find out that the shell's
389 wrong, your editor startup files are ignored, and nothing works quite the way
390 you'd like it to. Typically you can't change this without annoying the other
391 users: the result is a horrible compromise which dissatisfies everyone
394 The `preserve' style lets you take your standard environment with you when
395 you become someone else. It tries hard not to modify any environment
398 Become starts your standard shell. If you have an environment variable
399 @code{SHELL} defined, than this is executed. Otherwise, the shell specified
400 in your entry in the password file is used. (You must have permission to
401 execute whatever shell is chosen as the target user, or you'll just be given
404 Most programs look at environment variables in preference to looking up
405 entries in the password database; e.g., they tend to use @code{USER} or
406 @code{LOGNAME} for the user name, and @code{HOME} for your home directory.
407 As a result, most programs will continue to find their configuration files in
408 your home directory. Also, systems like RCS will use your real name, rather
409 than the name of the user that you have become.
411 To make best use of this login style, you may need to adjust your login
412 scripts to notice when @code{BECOME_USER} is someone else, and read in
413 appropriate definitions. For example, a `bash' user might say something like
414 this in her @file{.bashrc}:
417 if [ -n "$BECOME_HOME" ]; then . $BECOME_HOME/.bashrc
421 Similarly, a C shell user (either `tcsh' or `csh') might say something like
424 if ($?BECOME_HOME) source $@{BECOME_HOME@}/.cshrc
427 (Note that plain Bourne shell users have a slight problem, because the Bourne
428 shell only reads configuration things on a login, not when a normal
429 interactive shell is started.)
432 @node The set-user style, The login style, The preserve style, Login styles
433 @subsubsection The `set-user' login style
435 The author sees the main use of Become as allowing a user to acquire the
436 privileges associated with a shared account without all the problems which
437 shared accounts usually cause. To the author's way of thinking, one of the
438 main problems is that your environment gets replaced by something alien and
439 wrong. People disagree with me over this point, and for this reason the
440 `set-user' style exists.
442 The objective of `set-user' style is to behave similarly to the standard
443 @code{su} command. Unless they've been preserved explicitly (@pxref{Tweaking
444 the environment}), `set-user' mode sets the following environment variables:
449 The name of the target user.
452 The home directory of the target user.
455 The target user's default shell
458 The result of this is that the shell will read the target user's
459 configuration files and present you with the environment set up there.
461 I can't think of this style as being anything other than a migration aid
462 while users are getting used to the freedom offered by the `preserve' style.
465 @node The login style, , The set-user style, Login styles
466 @subsubsection The `login' login style
468 The `login' style causes Become to attempt to emulate a full login. Become
469 will empty the environment of any variables which aren't explicitly preserved
470 (@pxref{Tweaking the environment}). It will then set the following
476 The name of the target user.
479 The home directory of the target user.
482 The target user's default shell
485 An educated guess at where the target user's mailbox is.
488 By default, it runs the target user's shell, informing it that this is a
489 login by setting the first character of @code{argv[0]} to @samp{-}.
491 Become makes no entries in the @file{utmp} and @file{wtmp} files.
495 @node Tweaking the environment, Removed variables, Login styles, Environment
496 @subsection Tweaking individual environment variables
498 Become's login styles provide a sort of course-grained control over the
499 environment. Sometimes the control isn't fine enough. Become lets you tweak
500 individual variables: you can set, delete, or preserve named variables from
503 There are three different things you can do with environment variables:
507 Set a variable called @var{var} to a value @var{value}, by saying
510 @var{var}=@var{value}
514 The variable is preserved from automatic deletion by the login-style rules.
517 Delete a variable called @var{var} from the environment, by saying
524 Preserve a variable @var{var} from being deleted or modified by Become's
525 login-style rules, but not change its value, by saying
532 Just to try and make this slightly more sensible, here's an example. Suppose
533 I want my @code{XAUTHORITY} variable to be set when I become user `fred':
536 become XAUTHORITY=$HOME/.Xauthority fred
540 should do the job nicely. Similarly, if I want to log in as `bob', but don't
541 want my @code{EDITOR} variable to change:
544 become --login EDITOR! bob
548 (Of course, in this example, I'm at the mercy of Bob's shell init files as to
549 whether his choice of editor overrides mine.)
553 @node Removed variables, , Tweaking the environment, Environment
554 @subsection Variables removed from the environment
556 Some variables are removed from the environment which Become passes to a
557 program for security reasons:
564 These variables are used on various systems as a search path for shared
565 libraries. Clearly, by manipulating these search paths, an attacker could
566 replace a standard shared library with one of his own.
569 The shell input field separator. Modifying this variable radically alters
570 the way shells parse their inputs. (In particular, consider the case where
571 @code{IFS} contains @samp{/}.)
575 Used by some shells: it contains the name of a file to read on every shell
580 I'm not really sure what's going on here, so I'll just have to bluff my way
581 through. I think that the following is more-or-less accurate, having browsed
582 a small amount of Kerberos-related documentation.
584 Contains the name of a Kerberos configuration file. By manipulating this
585 variable, an attacker could persuade a program to believe the wrong
586 authentication server.
589 Also note that the @code{PATH} variable is modified: any items which aren't
590 absolute pathnames are removed from the path. This check may become stricter
591 in future, although getting the balance between security and convenience is
592 particularly hard here.
596 @node Group permissions, X authority, Environment, Becoming someone else
597 @section How Become handles groups
599 As well as handling changes of user id, Become also changes group ids.
600 The exact changes Become makes are under user control.
603 * Primary group selection:: Setting the new primary group
604 * Subsidiary groups:: Setting subsidiary group memberships
608 @node Primary group selection, Subsidiary groups, Group permissions, Group permissions
609 @subsection Choosing a new primary group
611 By default, the primary group is chosen according to the login style
612 (@pxref{Login styles}): the `preserve' style retains the current primary
613 group, while `set-user' and `login' styles choose the target's primary group.
615 You can override Become's default choice using the @code{--group} (@code{-g}
619 become --group=@var{group} @dots{}
622 The chosen @var{group} may be either a group name or a numeric gid. The
623 group must be one of the following:
627 Your current primary group.
629 One of your current subsidiary groups.
631 The target user's primary group.
633 One of the target user's subsidiary groups.
636 Become will raise an error if this isn't the case.
639 @node Subsidiary groups, , Primary group selection, Group permissions
640 @subsection Handling subsidiary group memberships
642 Subsidiary group memberships are a powerful tool for managing permissions
643 under Unix. Traditionally, they tend to be tied to particular users. Become
644 tries to be sightly more intelligent about group memberships.
646 Become has a concept of @dfn{group style}, analogous to login style
647 (@pxref{Login styles}). The styles are selected by giving command line
653 Retain the existing group memberships; don't add any new groups.
656 @itemx --merge-groups
657 Merge group memberships of the target user with the exiting memberships.
660 @itemx --replace-groups
661 Replace the existing group memberships with the target user's memberships.
664 Again, the defaults are dependent on the chosen login style. Both `preserve'
665 and `set-user' merge group memberships; the `login' style replaces the set of
668 Note that you can do perverse things like replace all the subsidiary groups
669 but retain your primary group (using the @code{--group} option;
670 @pxref{Primary group selection}) if you like: Become won't try to stop you.
674 @node X authority, Running commands, Group permissions, Becoming someone else
675 @section Considerations for X authority
677 Other users can't read your @file{.Xauthority} file, if you have one. This
678 is as it should be: anyone who can read it can connect to your X server and
679 read or generate events. However, once you've become another user, you can't
680 open any X windows; this can be annoying if your favourite editor is X-based.
682 There are two basic approaches. Either you can send the shared account a
683 copy of your display's magic cookie, or you can retain permission to read the
687 * The user-group method:: A secure method for handling X authority
688 * Using xauth:: A less secure method, which might be easier
692 @node The user-group method, Using xauth, X authority, X authority
693 @subsection The user-group method for handling X authority
695 This method is completely secure only if your site uses the `user-group'
696 system. In this system, each user is allocated a group containing only that
697 user. Usually this is made the user's default primary group, although that's
700 When you start a new X session, ensure that your cookie file is owned by you
701 and your private group. Change the file's permissions so that it's group
702 readable. Finally, ensure that your private group is retained when you
703 become someone else (@pxref{Group permissions}), and that the
704 @code{XAUTHORITY} variable is set correctly.
706 The following Bourne shell code in a @file{.xinitrc} should do most of the
710 XAUTHORITY="$HOME/.Xauthority"
712 chgrp mygroup $XAUTHORITY
713 chmod 640 $XAUTHORITY
717 In a C shell, this becomes
720 setenv XAUTHORITY $@{HOME@}/.Xauthority
721 chgrp mygroup $XAUTHORITY
722 chmod 640 $XAUTHORITY
725 The @code{XAUTHORITY} file is preserved by both the `preserve' and `set-user'
726 login styles, so this isn't a problem. You can now become other users, and
727 your X permissions will follow you around correctly.
729 It's probably worth noting that the @code{xauth} program annoyingly resets
730 the permissions on the cookie file every time it writes to it. This will be
731 particularly irritating if you use @code{ssh}'s X forwarding capabilities,
732 because every @code{ssh} connection will reset the permissions. You can deal
733 with this problem by putting a line
736 chmod 640 $@{XAUTHORITY-$HOME/.Xauthority@} 2>/dev/null
740 in your @file{.bashrc} or @file{.profile} (for Bourne-like shell users) or
743 if ($?XAUTHORITY) then
744 chmod 640 $XAUTHORITY >&/dev/null
746 chmod 640 $@{HOME@}/.Xauthority >&/dev/null
751 in @file{.cshrc} for C shell users.
755 @node Using xauth, , The user-group method, X authority
756 @subsection The `xauth' method for handling X authority
758 This method sends your X cookie to the shared account. It's therefore
759 intrinsically dangerous: you must be able to trust the other users of the
760 shared account not to take undue advantage of this situation.
762 The following (Bourne) shell snippet illustrates how you might send an
763 authorisation cookie to the shared account, to allow it to connect to your
767 if test -n "$BECOME_HOME"; then
768 XAUTHORITY="$BECOME_HOME/.Xauthority"; export XAUTHORITY
769 elif test -n "$DISPLAY" && test -z "done_xauth_cookie"; then
771 :0.0) display=`hostname`:0.0 ;;
772 *) display="$DISPLAY" ;;
774 xauth extract - $display | \
775 become someone -c 'xauth -f $BECOME_HOME/.Xauthority merge -'
776 done_xauth_cookie=yes; export done_xauth_cookie
780 The equivalent C shell code is
783 if ($?BECOME_HOME) then
784 setenv XAUTHORITY "$@{BECOME_HOME@}/.Xauthority
785 else if ($?DISPLAY && ! $?done_xauth_cookie) then
786 if ($DISPLAY == :0.0) then
787 set display="`hostname`:0.0"
789 set display="$DISPLAY"
791 xauth extract - $display | \
792 become someone -c 'xauth -f $BECOME_HOME/.Xauthority merge -'
800 If the variable @code{BECOME_HOME} is set, then we're probably really someone
801 else, so point to the shared account's authority file.
804 Otherwise, check to see whether we have a display, and the authorisation has
805 not already been sent. If this is so, resolve a local display name into a
806 remote one (just in case) and then send it to the shared account.
811 @node Running commands, , X authority, Becoming someone else
812 @section Executing specific commands
814 As well as starting shells, Become can run single commands. This can be
819 It enables Become to be used in scripts.
822 It allows access to shared accounts to be controlled on the basis of the
826 To run a command as another user, say:
829 become @var{user} @var{command} [@var{argument}@dots{}]
832 If the request is granted, Become runs @var{command}, passing it any
833 arguments following the command name. Become doesn't run a shell, so there's
834 no extra escaping which needs to be done.
836 If you really want to run a shell command as another user, you can use the
840 become @var{user} -c @var{shell-command}
843 This is exactly equivalent to
846 become @var{user} /bin/sh -c @var{shell-command}
849 in every way. In particular, you must have permission to run @file{/bin/sh}
850 as @var{user} for it to work: Become doesn't attempt to interpret the shell
851 command in any way. Also note that Become always uses the Bourne shell,
852 regardless of your current shell preference, or @var{user}'s default shell.
853 (This is done to provide a stable programming interface which works
854 irrespective of changes to the shared account's configuration.)
857 @c --------------------------------------------------------------------------
858 @node Administering Become, Invoking Become, Becoming someone else, Top
859 @chapter Become administration
862 This chapter will explain how Become is administrated and maintained.
865 * Configuration files:: Overview of Become's configuration files
866 * Standalone or networked:: The two main types of Become installations
867 * The configuration file:: How to define who's allowed to do what
868 * Networked configuration:: Considerations for networked installations
873 @node Configuration files, Standalone or networked, Administering Become, Administering Become
874 @section Configuration files
876 Become keeps its configuration and administrative files in a directory
877 usually named @file{/etc/become}, although this can be changed with the
878 @code{--with-etcdir} option to the configuration script when you build
881 Not all of the files are needed on all machines.
885 The main configuration file, containing a description of which users are
886 allowed to become which other users, where, and what they're allowed to run
887 when they get there. Only needed on servers or standalone machines.
890 A list of servers to contact. Only needed on client machines.
893 The encryption key to use when sending requests to servers. Needed on
894 clients and servers, but not on standalone machines.
897 The process id of the server. Created automatically by Become's server when
901 Contains state information for Become's random number generator. Created
902 automatically if it doesn't exist.
906 @node Standalone or networked, The configuration file, Configuration files, Administering Become
907 @section Installation types
910 Become can be installed in two different ways, depending on how you want to
915 In a @dfn{standalone} installation, each Become request is dealt with
916 locally: the program reads the configuration file, and decides whether it
917 should grant or deny permission.
919 Standalone installations don't depend on servers being available, or even on
920 the existance of a network. They're useful for small sites, or sites with a
921 small number of users. The disadvantages are that reading the configuration
922 file takes a while, so the program doesn't feel as responsive as it should,
923 and ensuring that all the hosts' configuration files are synchronised becomes
924 difficult when you have lots of machines.
927 In a @dfn{network} installation, any Become requests are sent on to a
928 collection of servers. The servers analyse the request and send a reply back
929 which either authorises or forbids access.
931 A networked installation clearly depends on the servers' reliability. The
932 client reacts only to the first reply it receives, so as long as there is one
933 server running, everything should continue as normal.
935 A networked installation is useful when you have a large number of client
936 machines, particularly ones which may not be awake all the time. The full
937 configuration file only needs to be installed on a small number of servers;
938 the clients require only a list of server machines to contact, and an
939 encryption key to use.
944 @node The configuration file, Networked configuration, Standalone or networked, Administering Become
945 @section The configuration file
947 The main configuration file, usually called @file{/etc/become/become.conf},
948 contains all the rules which Become uses to decide whether to grant or deny
949 requests. It may also contain additional information for the benefit of
950 Become daemons, if you're using a networked installation.
953 * Basic syntax:: Quick overview of Become's syntax
954 * Classes:: Defining classes of things
955 * Predefined classes:: Become predefines some (maybe) useful classes
956 * Allow statements:: Allow users to become other users
957 * Other statements:: Some other useful statements
958 * Example configuration file:: An example, showing a few features.
959 * Complete grammar:: Complete grammar for Become config files
963 @node Basic syntax, Classes, The configuration file, The configuration file
964 @subsection Basic configuration file syntax
966 The configuration file consists of a sequence of statements, each terminated
969 Comments begin with a @samp{#} character, and continue to the end of the
970 line. This is the only time newlines behave specially: newlines behave just
971 like any other whitespace characters within statements.
973 Strings are enclosed in double-quote characters (@samp{"}). Within a string,
974 a backslash causes the following character to be treated literally, whatever
975 it may be (including quotes, backslashes and newlines).
977 Names begin with an alphabetic character or an underscore, and consist of
978 letters, digits and underscores.
984 @node Classes, Predefined classes, Basic syntax, The configuration file
987 A @dfn{class} in Become is a set of users, hosts or commands. You can define
988 and name your own classes using statements of the form:
991 user @var{name} = @var{class-expr} ;
992 command @var{name} = @var{class-expr} ;
993 host @var{name} = @var{class-expr} ;
996 A @var{class-expr} is an expression defining a class. You can build a
997 complex class out of simple classes using the operators (in ascending
998 precedence order) @samp{,}, @samp{-}, @samp{|} and @samp{&}, which represent
999 the set options `union', `subtraction', `union' (again!), and `intersection'.
1000 Subexpressions can be parenthesised to override the default precedence.
1001 Once a class name has been defined, as shown above, it can be used in
1002 subsequent class expressions.
1004 A single user may be designated by either a user name (in quotes) or an
1005 integer uid. Commands and hosts may be designated by quoted strings which
1006 may contain wildcards. Host strings are matched against both numeric (dotted
1007 quad) IP addresses and the reverse-resolved hostname. Command strings are
1008 matched against the absolute pathname of the command the user wants to
1013 @node Predefined classes, Allow statements, Classes, The configuration file
1014 @subsection Predefined classes
1016 In an attempt to make life a bit easier, Become creates a collection of
1019 The standard classes @code{all} and @code{none} match anything and nothing
1020 respectively. The @code{all} class is useful in some contexts: it gives you
1021 a way of saying `everything except@dots{}', for example:
1024 user MUNDANES = all - SYSHACKS;
1028 The @code{none} class isn't particularly useful in itself. It's there for
1031 Become also defines some other classes:
1035 For each username @var{user}, Become adds a class called @samp{@var{user}}
1036 which matches just that user.
1039 For each group name @var{group}, Become creates a class called
1040 @samp{@var{group}} which matches any user who is a member of that group.
1042 @item For each netgroup @var{netgroup}, Become creates two classes:
1043 @samp{u_@var{netgroup}} which matches any user listed in the netgroup, and
1044 @samp{h_@var{netgroup}} which matches any host listed in the netgroup.
1047 If a name is used for both a user @emph{and} a group, then corresponding
1048 class ends up containing the user together with all of the group members.
1049 For this reason, it's probably better to use the predefined classes for
1050 groups rather than individual users -- use quoted user names for individual
1053 Note that users and groups are read using the standard @code{get*ent} calls
1054 @emph{and} directly from the NIS server (if there is one). The idea here is
1055 that a Become server can be run on a machine which allows restricted logins.
1056 It still needs to know about all the users known to the outside world.
1058 Netgroups are read only from the NIS servers. In particular, although GNU
1059 systems allow netgroup databases to be stored in local files, Become wonn't
1060 read them because there's no defined interface for enumerating netgroups.
1063 @node Allow statements, Other statements, Predefined classes, The configuration file
1064 @subsection Allow statements
1066 Defining classes is just a means to an end. The end is to specify which
1067 users are allowed to do what, where, and as whom. This is done with an
1068 @code{allow} statement:
1071 allow [[@var{host-class}]] [@var{user-class}] -> [@var{user-class}] [ : @var{command-class}]
1074 (The @var{host-class} is optional, but must be enclosed in square brackets if
1077 The four classes in an allow statement are called, respectively, the `host',
1078 the `to-user', the `from-user' and the `command'. Any of the four classes
1079 may be omitted, and an omitted class defaults to `all'.
1081 When a request is received, Become checks the fields in the request against
1082 the classes in each allow statement of the configuration file. If a
1083 statement matches, the request is granted; if there are no full matches,
1084 the request is denied.
1087 @node Other statements, Example configuration file, Allow statements, The configuration file
1088 @subsection Other statements
1090 Two other statement types are defined. They only have an effect on Become in
1095 keyfile @var{key-file} ;
1099 The @code{port} statement specifies the port to which the server should
1100 listen; the @var{port} may be be an integer or a quoted service name. The
1101 @code{keyfile} statement instructs Become to use the key from the file named
1102 @var{key-file}, which must be a quoted string.
1105 @node Example configuration file, Complete grammar, Other statements, The configuration file
1106 @subsection An example configuration file
1112 # Example configuration file
1115 allow wheel -> "root";
1117 user NEWS = "fred", "jim";
1118 allow NEWS -> "news";
1120 user HTTP = "jim", "bob";
1121 allow HTTP -> "httpd" : "/bin/kill", "/etc/init.d/httpd";
1125 @node Complete grammar, , Example configuration file, The configuration file
1126 @subsection Complete grammar for configuration files
1129 @var{file} ::= @var{file} @var{statement}
1131 @var{statement} ::= @var{class-def}
1136 @var{class-def} ::= @samp{user} @var{name} = @var{class-expr} @samp{;}
1137 | @samp{command} @var{name} = @var{class-expr} @samp{;}
1138 | @samp{host} @var{name} = @var{class-expr} @samp{;}
1140 @var{allow-spec} ::= @samp{allow} @var{opt-host-spec} @var{opt-user-spec}
1141 @samp{->} @var{opt-user-spec} @var{opt-command-spec} @samp{;}
1143 @var{opt-host-spec} ::= @samp{[} @var{class-expr} @samp{]}
1146 @var{opt-user-spec} ::= @var{class-expr}
1149 @var{opt-command-spec} ::= @samp{:} @var{class-expr}
1152 @var{port-spec} ::= @samp{port} @var{integer} @samp{;}
1153 | @samp{port} @var{string} @samp{;}
1155 @var{key-spec} ::= @samp{keyfile} @var{string} @samp{;}
1157 @var{class-expr} ::= @var{class-diff-expr}
1158 | @var{class-expr} @samp{,} @var{class-diff-expr}
1160 @var{class-diff-expr} ::= @var{class-isect-expr}
1161 | @var{class-diff-expr} @samp{-} @var{class-union-expr}
1163 @var{class-union-expr} ::= @var{class-isect-expr}
1164 | @var{class-union-expr} @samp{|} @var{class-isect-expr}
1166 @var{class-isect-expr} ::= @var{class-primary}
1167 | @var{class-isect-expr} @samp{&} @var{class-primary}
1169 @var{class-primary} ::= @samp{(} @var{class-expr} @samp{)}
1173 @var{integer} ::= one or more digits (@samp{0}--@samp{9})
1175 @var{name} ::= an alphabetic character or underscore, followed by zero or
1176 more alphanumeric characters or underscores
1178 @var{string} ::= @samp{"} @var{string-chars} @samp{"}
1180 @var{string-chars} ::= @var{string-chars} @var{string-char}
1183 @var{string-char} ::= a @samp{\} followed by any character
1184 | any character other than @samp{"}, @samp{\} or newline
1190 @node Networked configuration, , The configuration file, Administering Become
1191 @section Networked configuration
1193 If you're planning to use Become in a standalone way, you can skip this
1197 * Choosing servers:: Which servers Become tries to talk to
1198 * Setting up keys:: How to generate keys for Become
1199 * Random number files:: Become keeps random number state around
1200 * Issuing a new key:: How to issue new keys without disruption
1204 @node Choosing servers, Setting up keys, Networked configuration, Networked configuration
1205 @subsection Choosing servers
1207 Become notices that it's meant to send requests to a server if it finds a
1208 @file{become.server} file. This file contains entries of the form
1211 @var{host} [: @var{port}]
1214 If the @var{port} is omitted, Become chooses a port by looking at the
1215 services database for a service which matches the name by which Become was
1216 invoked: normally this will be @samp{become}.
1218 Become sends a request to all of the servers and believes the first valid
1219 reply it receives. Since servers ignore requests they believe to be invalid,
1220 this enables you to change Become's key without disrupting service
1221 (@pxref{Issuing a new key}).
1223 If you're using NIS, you should try to ensure that Become servers runs only
1224 on NIS servers; the NIS master is probably a good choice.
1226 Become isn't particularly processor-intensive, and doesn't seem to require
1230 @node Setting up keys, Random number files, Choosing servers, Networked configuration
1231 @subsection Setting up keys
1233 Communication between Become clients and the server is encrypted to ensure
1234 that it's not feasible to gain unauthorised privilege by subverting the
1235 network. Become uses simple symmetric cryptography -- it's not necessary to
1236 use complicated public key techniques in this case.
1238 Each client machine, and the server, must have a copy of the same key. The
1239 key is usually stored in @file{/etc/become/become.key}. Become's keys are
1242 The key file can be generated using the @code{keygen} program, supplied. The
1246 keygen --bits=128 --output=/etc/become/become.key
1250 generates a 128-bit key and writes it to @file{/etc/become/become.key} in a
1251 format which Become can read.
1253 The @code{keygen} program works by measuring the time between keystrokes. It
1254 also tries to obtain some randomness from the environment, and mixes all of
1255 this noise together before it outputs the key file.
1257 Having generated a key, it must be distributed to all of the other hosts
1258 which will use this server. The author recommends using the @code{scp}
1259 program, distributed with the @code{SSH} (Secure Shell) package, for doing
1262 Being able to read a key file enables a user to assume root privileges. The
1263 author recommends that only the super-user be able to read key files.
1266 * Invoking keygen:: How to use the @code{keygen} program
1270 @node Invoking keygen, , Setting up keys, Setting up keys
1271 @subsubsection Invoking @code{keygen}
1274 keygen [@var{option}@dots{}]
1277 By default, @code{keygen} generates a 128-bit key, and writes it to standard
1278 output in a hexadecimal format. This behaviour can be modified by passing
1284 Write a summary of @code{keygen}'s usage instructions to standard output and
1288 @itemx --bits=@var{bits}
1289 Generate a @var{bits}-bit key, instead of the default 128 bits.
1292 @itemx --output=@var{file}
1293 Write the key to @var{file} instead of standard output.
1295 @item -f @var{format}
1296 @itemx --format=@var{format}
1297 Set the format in which @code{keygen} outputs the generated key. If the
1298 @var{format} is @samp{hex} (or @samp{tx}), the key is output in Become's
1299 hexadecimal format; @samp{binary} writes the key as a raw binary dump; and
1300 @samp{base64} writes the key using the Base64 encoding.
1305 @node Random number files, Issuing a new key, Setting up keys, Networked configuration
1306 @subsection Random number files
1308 Become uses random numbers to generate session keys when it's communicating
1309 with a server. When it's finished, it stores the state of its random number
1310 generator in a file, usually @code{/etc/become/become.random}. If this file
1311 doesn't exist, Become creates it automatically, using noise collected from
1312 the environment. It's probably not worth your while creating randomness
1316 @node Issuing a new key, , Random number files, Networked configuration
1317 @subsection Issuing a new key
1319 When you're sending out a new key, you run a risk of disrupting service. The
1320 server reads a new key; the clients still have the old one.
1322 The author's recommendation is to run two servers. Update the key on one.
1323 Then send the new key to all of the clients. Finally, update the key on the
1324 other server. Because of the way Become works, a client will always get a
1325 response from one of the servers, depending on whether the new key has
1328 A similar method is handy if Become's protocol ever changes. (This is quite
1329 likely at the moment. The current protocol doesn't include any version
1330 information, and the MAC isn't as good as it could be.)
1333 @c --------------------------------------------------------------------------
1334 @node Invoking Become, , Administering Become, Top
1335 @chapter Invoking Become
1338 This chapter provides an exhaustive description of Become's command line
1339 options, organised in a reference-manual sort of way.
1342 * Becoming another user:: Options for becoming another user
1343 * Starting Become daemons:: Options for starting Become daemons
1344 * Debugging options:: Options to use when Become goes wrong
1349 @node Becoming another user, Starting Become daemons, Invoking Become, Invoking Become
1350 @section Becoming another user
1352 @subsection Synopsis
1355 become [@var{option}@dots{}] [@var{env-var}@dots{}] @var{user} [@var{command} [@var{argument}@dots{}]]
1358 Actually, you can put the @var{option}s, @var{env-var}s and @var{user} in any
1359 order you like; the important thing is that all of them appear before the
1365 The @var{option}s appropriate for this mode are as follows:
1370 Display a (fairly verbose) help message describing the various command line
1371 options and exits successfully.
1375 Display a terse summary of the command line options and exits successfully.
1379 Display's Become's version number and exits successfully.
1382 @item --preserve-environment
1383 Selects the `preserve' login style (@pxref{The preserve style}). All
1384 environment variables are preserved. The default command is the current
1385 user's own shell. The default primary group becomes the current primary
1386 group; the default group style is set to `merge'.
1391 Selects the `set-user' login style (@pxref{The set-user style}). Most
1392 environment variables are preserved, but @code{USER}, @code{LOGNAME},
1393 @code{HOME} and other user-specific variables are altered to reflect the
1394 target user's configuration. The default command is the target user's shell.
1395 The default primary group becomes the target user's primary group; the
1396 default group style is set to `merge'.
1400 Selects the `login' login style (@pxref{The login style}). The environment
1401 is cleared and rebuilt, in a similar way to the behaviour of @code{login}.
1402 The default command is the target user's shell. The default primary group
1403 becomes the target user's primary group; the default group style is set to
1406 @item -g @var{group}
1407 @itemx --group=@var{group}
1408 Selects @var{group} as the primary group; it may be either a group name or a
1409 numeric group id. Note that @var{group} must be the primary group or
1410 a subsidiary group of either the current user or the target user.
1413 @itemx --keep-groups
1414 Selects the `keep' group style (@pxref{Subsidiary groups}). The current set
1415 of subsidiary group memberships are passed on unchanged.
1418 @itemx --merge-groups
1419 Selects the `merge' group style (@pxref{Subsidiary groups}). The current set
1420 of subsidiary group memberships are merged with the subsidiary groups of the
1424 @itemx --replace-groups
1425 Selects the `replace' group style (@pxref{Subsidiary groups}). The target
1426 user's subsidiary group memberships are passed on; the current subsidiary
1427 groups are discarded.
1429 @item -c @var{shell-cmd}
1430 @itemx --command=@var{shell-cmd}
1431 Sets the @var{command} and @var{argument}s to invoke
1432 @code{/bin/sh -c @var{shell-cmd}}; i.e., to execute a Bourne shell command
1433 instead of just @code{exec}ing a program. Note that permissions are checked
1434 for executing the Bourne shell @code{/bin/sh}; the contents of the
1435 @var{shell-cmd} are not inspected.
1438 The @var{env-var} arguments fine-tune the environment passed to the command.
1439 Each @var{env-var} setting must be one of the following:
1442 @item @var{var}=@var{value}
1443 Assign the variable named @var{var} the value @var{value}. Protect the
1444 variable @var{var} from modifications by the login style.
1447 Protect the variable @var{var} from modifications by the login style, but
1448 don't change its value.
1451 Remove the variable @var{var} from the environment; do not pass it on.
1454 The @var{user} specifies the user as whom the @var{command} should be
1455 executed (i.e., the @dfn{target user}). It may be a user name or a numeric
1458 The @var{command} specifies a command to execute. If @var{command} does not
1459 contain a path, it is looked for using the current @code{PATH} environment
1460 variable. The resulting pathname is canonified if necessary, to produce an
1461 absolute pathname. Note that symbolic links are @emph{not} resolved -- this
1462 prevents an attack whereby a user could invoke a program, passing it an
1463 unusual @code{argv[0]} which might cause unusual behaviour.
1465 The @var{command} name is used both as the command to execute and passed to
1466 the command as @code{argv[0]}. It is not possible to specify an alternative
1467 calue to be passed as @code{argv[0]}. Subsequent arguments, if supplied, are
1468 passed as @code{argv[1]} upwards.
1470 If no @var{command} is given, a shell is invoked; the particulars of the
1471 shell are determined by the login style (see above).
1473 The @var{command} is executed as follows:
1477 The subsidiary groups are chosen as determined by the group style.
1479 The real and effective gids are set.
1481 The real and effective uids are set.
1483 The @var{command} is called using the standard @code{execve} system call.
1488 @node Starting Become daemons, Debugging options, Becoming another user, Invoking Become
1489 @section Starting Become daemons
1491 @subsection Synopsis
1494 become --daemon [@var{option}@dots{}]
1500 The following options are appropriate to this mode:
1505 Display a (fairly verbose) help message describing the various command line
1506 options and exits successfully.
1510 Display a terse summary of the command line options and exits successfully.
1514 Display's Become's version number and exits successfully.
1518 Start a Become server, instead of processing a request. Become will read its
1519 command line options, read in the configuration file (and verify that it's
1520 correct) and then fork into the background to wait for incoming requests.
1521 Become relinquishes all setuid privileges (by setting all uids to the real
1522 uid) when it enters daemon mode. It is therefore only really useful to run a
1523 daemon as the superuser.
1526 @itemx --port=@var{port}
1527 Listen for requests on @var{port}. This option is overridden by the
1528 @code{port} option in the configuration file.
1531 @itemx --config-file=@var{file}
1532 Read configuration from @var{file}, instead of the default (usually
1533 @file{/etc/become/become.conf}).
1536 The syntax of the configuration file is described in @ref{The configuration
1540 @node Debugging options, , Starting Become daemons, Invoking Become
1541 @section Debugging options
1543 Some options are only useful when trying to find out why Become is
1544 misbehaving. Of course, this never happens, so here are the options which
1545 you won't need to use:
1548 @item -T[@var{file}]
1549 @itemx --trace[=@var{file}]
1550 Write trace information to @var{file} (or to standard output, if no
1551 @var{file} is specified). You must be able to create the file and open it
1554 @item -L[@var{feature}...]
1555 @itemx --trace-level[=@var{feature}]
1556 Selects which features Become ought to trace. Each feature is allocated a
1557 letter; simply string together the letters for the features you want to
1558 debug. The letters @samp{D} and @samp{A} stand respectively for `default'
1559 and `all' features; you can subtract from them by saying, for example,
1560 @samp{A-xyz} to select all features except @samp{x}, @samp{y} and @samp{z}.
1561 The exact list of features supported at any one time can be listed by giving
1562 the @code{--trace-level} option without an argument.
1565 @itemx --impersonate=@var{user}
1566 Pretend to be @var{user} instead of yourself when the request is checked.
1567 This option can only be used if it wasn't disabled at compile-time and if
1568 Become is not running setuid. Even so, Become will only inform you of the
1569 outcome; it will not execute any commands.
1574 @c --------------------------------------------------------------------------
1576 @c --- No index yet ---
1578 @c @node Concept index, , Invoking Become, Top
1579 @c @unnumbered Concept index
1586 @c ----- That's all, folks --------------------------------------------------