Xserver needs to run as "root" on Linux / was: Re: [Xorg] Server side widgets

[Jon Smirl]

One idea being discussed is to use the kernel for login. Something like
SysReq or Ctrl-Alt-Del would be used to interrupt the kernel. The
kernel would then draw the login screen using a device drivers like
drm/fbdev. As part of the login process the ownership of the device
node would be transfered to the logged-in user.

No code has been written implementing this. It is just something that
is on the table for discussion at Kernel Summit.

Right now I'm just working on making the OpenGL drivers be able to run
without needing root.

--- Ely Levy <elylevy-xserver at cs.huji.ac.il> wrote:
> are we talking about moving to user after login?
> or always running as user?
> how do you solve changing console ownership for eaxmple?
> 
> Ely Levy
> System group
> Hebrew University
> Jerusalem Israel
> 
> 
> 
> On Mon, 12 Jul 2004, Jon Smirl wrote:
> 
> > --- Alan Coopersmith <Alan.Coopersmith at Sun.COM> wrote:
> > > require uid root priveledges.  On x86, it requires root to get
> access
> > > to the PCI bus & card registers and memory mappings.  (On SPARC,
> it's
> > > setgid root in order to do process priority adjustments and power
> > > control of the display & frame buffer.)
> >
> > I'd like to work towards getting rid of the need to run root on X86
> > since it opens possible security holes. For example I'm slowly
> fixing
> > things so that DRI (and mesa-solo) doesn't need to be root. As far
> as I
> > know there is no absolute requirement to be root if the appropriate
> > pieces get pushed in the device driver.
> >
> > =====
> > Jon Smirl
> > jonsmirl at yahoo.com
> >
> >
> >
> > __________________________________
> > Do you Yahoo!?
> > Yahoo! Mail Address AutoComplete - You start. We finish.
> > http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > xorg mailing list
> > xorg at freedesktop.org
> > http://freedesktop.org/mailman/listinfo/xorg
> >
> 

=====
Jon Smirl
jonsmirl at yahoo.com


		
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Read only the mail you want - Yahoo! Mail SpamGuard.
http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail