[3114] in SIPB_Linux_Development
Re: Athena 8.4/Red Hat 6.2 Beta installer
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Jonathon Weiss)
Sat Oct 14 13:52:27 2000
Message-Id: <200010141752.NAA22738@Bearing-An-Hourglass.mit.edu>
From: Jonathon Weiss <jweiss@MIT.EDU>
To: Camilla R Fox <cfox@MIT.EDU>
Cc: amu@MIT.EDU (Aaron M. Ucko), "Thomas H. Grayson" <thg@MIT.EDU>,
linux-dev@MIT.EDU, jweiss@MIT.EDU
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Sat, 14 Oct 2000 00:46:05 EDT."
<200010140446.AAA05015@myxomycete.mit.edu>
Date: Sat, 14 Oct 2000 13:52:17 -0400
> > > - - Control-Alt-F1 takes you to a console login prompt. The standard
> > > Athena install disables logging onto the console in this fashion,
> > > and displays the message "Type CTRL-ALT-F7 to login." You then
> > > have to press Control-P at the xlogin screen to get to the console
> > > login. (Incidentally, the SIPB install allows Control-Alt-Keyboard+
> > > to work.)
> >
> > As I understand it, the main reason that cluster machines disable
> > console logins is that they have a public root password, so anyone
> > could use a text console to get a root shell on a cluster machine
> > someone else is using. Since SIPB's installer prompts for a root
> > password, that issue goes away.
>
> I'm pretty sure we agreed to change this behavior back to the cluster
> behavior, after people complained. Jonathon, you had a better reason
> for this? My impression is that the push to install something as similar
> as possible to the cluster install came after the initial revisions of
> the SIPB installer.
Yes, the main reason that cluster machiens are set up this was is that
the public root password would allow people to get around someone's
screensaver. It's true that htis isn't as big a deal if none of the
machines are going to have the public root password. However, release
team did also discuss the fact that this is not a normal customization
that is documented in the Private Workstations Owners' Guide.
Jonathon
