On Monday 17 May 2010, Mikkel wrote: >On 05/17/2010 04:12 PM, Gene Heskett wrote: >> Clarify here: I can do all that as the user. What I can't do, until >> somebody decides to fix mkinitrd, is to run it as the user. That is my >> specific bitch. And I think its perfectly valid. mkinitrd simply will >> not run for anybody but root. > >Considering that mkinitrd is part of the install procedure, and not >part of the build procedure, why is that a problem? The initrd is >system specific, so it does not really make sense to run it before >the install stage. And you need to be root to do the install anyway. > >Mikkel > Why? In terms of the install, there is no reason why the perms can't be changed so the user can do it all, except the mkinitrd, which in my scripts leaves the initrd-version.img sitting it the src tree to be copied as a separate line in my 'makeit' script. The kernel and the initrd once it built, can be installed by the user if the perms had been set to the users ownership because he built them. Perms on stuff in the /boot partition during the early boot are a null argument, and its trivial to "su -" long enough to make the whole partition be owned by the user. He can then edit his grub.conf or menu.lst to add the new kernel to the boot menu, and boot this newer version. I repeat, the only reason that the user cannot now do it all, is somebody decided that mkinitrd should check to see who it is, and if not root, refuse to run. Example: [gene@coyote linux-2.6.34-rc4]$ /sbin/mkinitrd -f initrd-2.6.34-rc4.img 2.6.34-rc4 mkinitrd must be run as root. This list has spent more than a decade chiding and at times being downright insulting to me for running as root, so I am really making a dedicated effort to get away from that. Fixing the above error message from mkinitrd will remove another reason why I have to be root in order to get anything done. This issue not been addressed, but instead has been either miss-understood, or the subject changed, but no one has given me a good reason, security or otherwise, why mkinitrd must be run as root only. If there is a good reason that can be defined in a manner that makes sense, so be it. But I'd like to see that reason defined/explained, on this screen. -- Cheers, Gene "There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order." -Ed Howdershelt (Author) Take heart amid the deepening gloom that your dog is finally getting enough cheese. -- National Lampoon, "Deteriorata" -- users mailing list users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe or change subscription options: https://admin.fedoraproject.org/mailman/listinfo/users Guidelines: http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Mailing_list_guidelines
