embedding a password for su command?

[Todd Goldsmith]

Hello:
I am writing a script which will emulate various users by reading part of
their .profile and using su (with the -c option) to allow the script to
have the proper file permissions and ownerships. This in hp-ux 11.00.

This all works fine when the script is executed by root, but otherwise, I
am prompted for the user password. These particular user passwords are
static; they do not change, and are used by foreign automated processes.
Assuming that I compress the user passwords for security, is there a way
for my script to supply the password without user intervention?

In other words, I want my user to be able to invoke the script with a
particular user an an argument, and have the script automatically su to
the user named by the argument, and supply the password (or bypass it
altogether.) I do not want for real people users to know these
passwords...

Thanks in advance,

Todd
(remove the xxx from my email if you prefer to respond privately)

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[Bill Schultz]

Why don't you just use the sticky bit? If you use the sticky bit you can
then
write out to a log of who executed the command?

"Todd Goldsmith" <todd.go...@xxx.fiserv.xxx.xom> wrote in message
news:MPG.13d3e1a58...@goliath.usenet-access.com...

[Todd Goldsmith]

My goal is not to find out who issued a command, but to be able create
and remove files, start and kill processes, etc., using the permissions
and ownerships of these other users. I do not want to externally invoke
their passwords, but I can supply the passwords within the script. The
script needs to be executed by a non-root UID.

I'm looking at sudo right now, but I'm not sure it's gonna do it for me.
sudo wants me to issue my own password, which still defeats the
automation that I am atempting to achieve.

Know anything about sudo?

TIA,

Todd

In article <hPta5.252$TW.5...@nnrp3.sbc.net>, b-...@swbell.net says...