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Date:      Wed, 6 Dec 2000 23:20:21 -0500 (EST)
From:      David Raistrick <keen@damoe.wireless-isp.net>
To:        Nick Slager <nicks@albury.net.au>
Cc:        Phil C <mongo@elephantitis.org>, freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: xlock...
Message-ID:  <Pine.BSF.4.21.0012062317090.30371-100000@damoe.wireless-isp.net>
In-Reply-To: <20001207144325.A74591@albury.net.au>

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On Thu, 7 Dec 2000, Nick Slager wrote:

> > as a 'normal' user and started xlock as that user... And then accidentally
> > typed the root password in and regained control of my X session... that does
> > not seem right to me....
> 
> AFAIR, it's been like that since forever.

Yup.  This is a normal function...recall that un*x machines were often
used in lab setups...where many people could use the same machine at
various times.

If someone had xlock running and there were no option but a powercyle to
regain access to the workstation....it would be a bad thing.

to quote:

XLOCK(1)                                                 XLOCK(1)


NAME
       xlock  -  Locks  the  local  X display until a password is
       entered.
....


NOTE ON ETIQUETTE
       Xlock should not be used on public terminals when there is
       a high demand for them.

       If you find a public terminal  that  has  been  locked  by
       another  user  and there are no other terminals available,
       and the terminal appears to have  been  left  idle  for  a
       while  (normally  more than 15 minutes), it is fair to try
       to reset the session in some manner.

...

 -/+allowroot
            The allowroot option  allows  the  root  password  to
            unlock  the  server  as  well as the user who started
            xlock.  May not be able  to  turn  this  on  and  off
            depending  on  your  system and how xlock was config-
            ured.
...



....david


--
David Raistrick		Digital Wireless Communications
davidr@dwcinet.com





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