[patch] Change user after binding port X (as root)

[Nils]

Hi,

I wrote this little patch which adds an entry to the Conf data. You can
now tell happstack what user it should use after binding port 80 as root
for example.

Patch is attached,

Nils / McManiaC

[stepcut]

I typically call startSystemState before simpleHTTP, so that state
system is initialize before any requests are being handled. However,
if the state system starts running as root, and the switches to
another user, won't there be file ownership issues with the state
files?

- jeremy

[Nils]

Hmm, good point. But I think as long as you dont save the state to
harddrive before binding port 80 this souldn't be an issue since the
whole application will change the userID and not just the HTTP-thread.

Not quite sure tho, since I didn't dive that deep into happstacks source
code. :) At least I'm running this patch on my local machine and didn't
experience any issues so far (which is no "proof" of course).

[stepcut]

I think that in general, there are a lot of things you might want to
do after dropping privileges but before processing incoming requests.
That is true of some of my applications.

It seems like maybe we want to split the port binding stuff out and
then pass the handle into simpleHTTP later? Something like this
perhaps?

main =
do h <- bind (port conf)
doOtherStuffAsRoot
changeUser (user conf)
doOtherStuffAsUser
tid <- forkIO $ simpleHTTPAlt h conf impl -- finally start taking
incoming requests
...


- jeremy

[Nils]

On Mon, Nov 02, 2009 at 05:26:41AM -0800, stepcut wrote:
> It seems like maybe we want to split the port binding stuff out and
> then pass the handle into simpleHTTP later? Something like this
> perhaps?

Jup, sounds great. I've been thinking about that too.

[stepcut]

I created a bug for 0.5

http://code.google.com/p/happstack/issues/detail?id=111

[Nils]

Hi,

I wrote the little patch we talked about before. Hope you like it. :)

Nils / McManiaC

On Mon, Nov 02, 2009 at 05:26:41AM -0800, stepcut wrote:
>