Unix Master, Guru and Wiseman: Please help

Invalid_Address, send to sintox@hotmail instead

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Jun 18, 2002, 9:32:44 AM6/18/02

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Hi all,

I have a shell account on unix (SunOS). Could you please suggest a software
to do the following.

I would like to know if it's possible to setup an FTP-SERVER (anonymous or
not doesn't matter) without being a super-user? (how do I call it? a
sub-server?)

It would allow me to share with friends files (from one specific directory)
without giving them my shell password. I notice that a webpage would not
give them write permission.

There are some free ftp servers tools (ncftp, vsftpd, ...) . But so far,
with no success. The error message for one was: "... must be run by inetd"
[but how do I run inetd if I'm not root],
and for the other: "need to be super-user to run a non-anonymous ftp server"
[ this one is funny since I have already set <server-type=anonymous-only> in
the config file ].

Thank you very much for helping and have a great day.
Tum

Dan Mercer

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Jun 18, 2002, 1:20:58 PM6/18/02

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In article <aencps$b7b$1...@driftwood.ccs.carleton.ca>,

FTP listens on ports that only root can access. So I don't see how
you could set up your own. It would probably also upset your
sysadmins. You could set up a mail server in which the file
transfer would occur by mail. This is not a task for a newby,
though. Again, you might also piss off your SA's if they caught
someone downloading /etc/passwd.

--
Dan Mercer
dame...@mmm.com

those who know me have no need of my name

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Jun 18, 2002, 4:38:55 PM6/18/02

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in comp.unix.shell i read:

>FTP listens on ports that only root can access. So I don't see how
>you could set up your own.

many ftpd daemons can be configured to do this trivially, e.g., typically
``ftpd -p 2121 -S'' (perhaps other switches too, e.g., `-A'). what you
cannot get around is that chroot() and set*uid() can only be called by
root, so a daemon running as other than root can't setup a chroot jail and
incoming clients will be running as the user, hence will have all the same
rights as `the' user. usually not what is desired.

people that want a read-only, anonymous ftp (and http) server of their own
can use djb's publicfile, but you must *really* want to have it because
installing it (and daemontools) without being root is a royal pita, and
isn't very secure.

it's much easier to setup your own http daemon w/upload capability.

>you might also piss off your SA's

i'd go so far as to say `probably will ...'.

--
bringing you boring signatures for 17 years

Robert Dinse

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Jun 28, 2002, 3:50:52 AM6/28/02

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In article <aencps$b7b$1...@driftwood.ccs.carleton.ca>, "Invalid_Address, send to sintox@hotmail instead" <_Inva...@address.com> writes:
>

The problem you have is that ftp listens to priviledged ports, port
20 and 21. These ports, at least on most stock Unix systems including
SunOS, can only be opened by root.

It would be possible to compile an ftpd that listens to a port 1024
or above, but your client software would also need to be told to connect
to that port.

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Georg Schwarz

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Jul 12, 2002, 3:09:06 PM7/12/02

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Robert Dinse <nan...@eskimo.com> wrote:

>
> It would be possible to compile an ftpd that listens to a port 1024
> or above, but your client software would also need to be told to connect
> to that port.

shouldn't that be trivial by explicitely including the port number in
the ftp URL?

--
Georg Schwarz http://home.pages.de/~schwarz/
ge...@epost.de +49 177 2437545