SSH Root Login Through Admin Level Website

[kennygadams]

Hi,

Is it possible to stop, start, restart root processes with a perl script that doesn't run as root?

I only want to run the sendmail program if a visitor uses our form to send an email. Otherwise I want it turned off because sendmail running with mailscanner puts a heavy load on our server.

The following code is what I used and it doesn't work.

$feedback = ("su - RootPasswordGoesHere \"service sendmail restart\"");

$feedback returns: su - RootPasswordGoesHere "service sendmail restart"

Thanks,

Kenny

http://www.WackyStock.com/

 

[stevexff]

Yes. You are effectively setting it to a string. Try

$feedback = [red]system[/red]("su - RootPasswordGoesHere \"service sendmail restart\"");

# or possibly

$feedback = [red]qx[[/red]su - RootPasswordGoesHere \"service sendmail restart\"[red]][/red];

are two ways of executing it and getting a (different) response.

Steve

[small]"Every program can be reduced by one instruction, and every program has at least one bug. Therefore, any program can be reduced to one instruction which doesn't work." (Object:erlDesignPatterns)[/small]

 

[kennygadams]

Thanks stevexff,

I tried it with system(...) and it didn't work. I also tried to login as admin first and root second and it still didn't work. I think my syntax is wrong and have spent many hours searching through Google for proper ways to use system calls but couldn't find anything that fit what I'm trying to do.

print "Starting sendmail process...<p>";

my $feedback = system("admin AdminPasswordGoesHere su - RootPasswordGoesHere \"service sendmail start\"");

print "\$feedback = $feedback<p>";

exit;

The $feedback returns "32512" which means "child exited with value 127." I'm not sure what this means. All I know is that the sendmail program didn't start, so I assume that my system call is incorrect.

Sincerely,

Kenny

http://www.StockToons.com/