Just installed Fedora Core 2 and I now want to install MySQL using the
rpms. I want to do this using the user "mysql", since I don't want the
MySQL-stuff to run as root. But it seems impossible to do this as a
non-root user without compromising security (ie. changing permissions
on all rpm-related files).
Any thoughts ?

Bart wrote:

> Just installed Fedora Core 2 and I now want to install MySQL using the
> rpms. I want to do this using the user "mysql", since I don't want the
> MySQL-stuff to run as root. But it seems impossible to do this as a
> non-root user without compromising security (ie. changing permissions
> on all rpm-related files).
> Any thoughts ?


Why would any linux program run in the root unless invoked by the root
user?

The way linux works is that while the application is in the root tree,
when you run it you are running as a user, using your own
configurations, preferences, settings and workproduct, all of which are
in the /home tree and all of which are owned by you and have your own
permissions.

A different user running the same linux program will have his own
configurations, preferences, settings and workproduct, and neither can
be seen by the other. I cannot see my son's work and he cannot see
mine, even though we use the same constellation of programs from the
same root tree, If there is anything we want to share, we have to set
up group permissions explicitly for that purpose.

I cannot imagine that MySQL would work any differently.


Clive

Clive Dove wrote:
> Bart wrote:
>
>
>> Just installed Fedora Core 2 and I now want to install MySQL using
>> the rpms. I want to do this using the user "mysql", since I don't
>> want the MySQL-stuff to run as root. But it seems impossible to do
>> this as a non-root user without compromising security (ie. changing
>> permissions on all rpm-related files). Any thoughts ?
>
>
>
> Why would any linux program run in the root unless invoked by the root
> user?
>
IBM's DB2 DBMS is very interesting that way. It owns all its own files
(program and data) and all the data database files of its users. It
specifically checks each user connecting to a database and if the user is
root, it does not allow access. I.e., the root user cannot use the
database. (Of course root can cheat and pretend to be another user easily
enough, but it sure guards against accidents.)

--
.~. Jean-David Beyer Registered Linux User 85642.
/V\ Registered Machine 241939.
/( )\ Shrewsbury, New Jersey http://counter.li.org
^^-^^ 08:20:00 up 3 days, 17:45, 5 users, load average: 4.95, 4.83, 4.49

Bart wrote:

> Just installed Fedora Core 2 and I now want to install MySQL using the
> rpms. I want to do this using the user "mysql", since I don't want the
> MySQL-stuff to run as root.

The MySQL installed from Fedora packages _will_ run as the user mysql.
It's specified by the contents of the RPM package, not by the user ID
that's used for the installation.

--
Markku Kolkka
markku.kolkka@iki.fi