Re: Allowing users to shutdown

[Svante Signell <svante.signell@telia.com>]

At last somebody has an acceptable solution for this use of GNU/Linux!!

This question has been sent to the gnome, debian, redhat and suse
lists in December with no answer like this, see the summary in the
gnome-list or the debian-user list dated December 14 1999. The closest
was to use sudo or similar since I don't want to use xdm/gdm/kdm. Now only
remains how to find a similar solution for kde. (Gnome in Redhat already has a
solution for this via PAM)

Any security issues with the solution below?

Svante S.

Bill Wilson writes:
 > On 01/24/00, Joseph A. Martin addressed "Allowing users to shutdown":
 > >       I have set up a Linux workstation for my family's use. They
 > > only need to keep the system on for short periods. (For various
 > > reasons I don't want to leave it on full time.) They are using the
 > > icewm window manager, which, when they hit ctrl-alt-del, gives them
 > > the option of shutting down or rebooting the system. /sbin/shutdown
 > > has permissions that do not allow them to use the shutdown command,
 > > unfortunately. What permissions must I set to allow anyone on that
 > > system to shut it down?
 > 
 > If you run Gnome on a home workstation you could customize it like
 > I did for a friend who is a just learning Linux.  Gnome has hardwired
 > code that needs /usr/bin/shutdown and looks for a /var/lock/console/$USER
 > before adding reboot and halt options to the "Log out" popup from the
 > gnome menu. So I did this:
 > 
 > ln -s /sbin/shutdown /usr/bin/shutdown
 > chmod a+s /sbin/shutdown
 > mkdir /var/lock/console
 > touch /var/lock/console/betty
 > chattr +i /var/lock/console/betty   #Could be in a startup script for the unlazy
 > 
 > Now she happily shuts down with four clicks.  I haven't followed this whole
 > thread, so sorry if I'm repeating anything - also, is there a preferred
 > Debian way to set up the console lock and shutdown link so gnome will show
 > the reboot and halt options?  This has to have come up before...
 > 
 > 
 > 
 > ---
 > Bill Wilson <bill@gkrellm.net>
 > 
 > 
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