In message <9406032055.AA00879@ig1.att.att.com>, Deborah A Hamilton
writes:
>I've installed Majordomo 1.9 and am currently testing
>the features. I have a question concerning the "passwd"
>command and its relationship to a list's config file.
In short there is none. They are two mutually different mechanisms for
accessing majordomo list administrative functions.
>I'm using the config file to keep the parameters
>for a list. The "passwd" command does not update the
>config file - instead it creates or updates the file
><listname>.passwd.
Correct.
>In checking the code, it appears that you check the password
>from the config file, but then open the <listname>.passwd
>file and don't update the config file. Is this a feature
>or a bug? I'd really rather see the config file updated
>by passwd and the <listname>.passwd file updated only if
>it exists.
Its a feature. Trust me 8-).
>I know I can use the "newconfig" command to update the
>passwords, but future list owners may decide to use the
>"passwd" command unless I turn it off by hacking majordomo -
>which I'd rather not do.
Create a listname.passwd file with a password only you know. The
passwd command should only allow changing of that password using the
password in the listname.passwd file. (if not, let me know).
>It also appears that the <listname>.passwd file takes precedence
>over the config file admin password.
It shouldn't except for the passwd command itself. Either password
(the .config or .,passwd file) should work.
>I've read the manuals, the
>faq's, the list archives, etc. - and it appeared that it was
>supposed to be the other way around - the config file should
>take precedence. Is the precedence explained somewhere?
I claim neither takes precidence. They operate in parallel.
>Thanks in advance for any explanations.
Here's the joke. Whay back when this code was first developed
(September '93 or so) I had coding bugs that would on occasion trash
the config file. So I kept the old .passwd file around and allowed
either the config file password or the .passwd file password to work
so that I could use the .passwd file password to recreate a new config
file when my code went and trashed it. (O.B. Trivia the reason the
config file password is named admin_password rather than just password
is so that it would be near the top of the file and wouldn't be as
easily trashed by disk full conditions, or my software getting hungry
and having the tail end of the file being munched.).
As time went on, and the config code got more stable and didn't eat
the config file for breakfast, lunch dinner or a midnight snack, the
need for the .passwd file went away, or so I thought. Then I started
thinking about with upgrade and migration paths for majordomo. What
about the person who administrates the majordomo machine. He really
could use a password for the lists to do things like generate a new
config file whan a new version of the software comes out, or get the
config file for somebody who has forgotten the config file password
(it happens). (Yes, the majordomo maintainer could just become root
and copy the file for a forgotten password, but upgrading majordomo
and writing a new config file for the lists is still best done by
majordomo).
So the .passwd password is still there, but it is more for the use of
the majordomo owner to allow access to the majordomo mechanisms for
maintaining the list. The regular list-managers and moderators use the
passwords in the config file.
Does this help clear it up?
-- John
John Rouillard
Senior Systems Consultant (SERL Project) University of Massachusetts at Boston
rouilj@cs.umb.edu (preferred) Boston, MA, (617) 287-6480
==============================================================================
My employers don't acknowledge my existence much less my opinions.
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