Re: Announcing ptyfix

[Casper Dik <Casper.Dik () SUN COM>]

> Paul Szabo <psz () MATHS USYD EDU AU> writes:
>
> > The privileged (setuid root) command ptyfix is used from within executables
> > that use the openpty() call. An example is xterm: with this helper, xterm
> > itself does not need to be setuid.
>
> The correct fix is to implement SysV-style PTYs.  I think they are
> required by SuSv2 as well.  Only some BSD systems do not provide this
> kind of PTYs, almost all other flavors do.
>
> > Currently ptyfix works only on Compaq Tru64 UNIX (DEC OSF/1) machines.
>
> The helper application is not required, you should open /dev/ptmx or
> /dev/ptmx_bsd and use grantpt() and unlockpt().  (The True64 5.1
> manpage suggests that openpty() already uses SysV PTYs, but that's not
> mentioned in earlier versions, such as DIGITAL UNIX 4.0D.)


Of The SysV style-ptys do generally use a helper applications.
(Typically, it's /usr/lib/pt_chmod)

Casper