Re: Migrate from WebTen to iTools?

On Tue, 18 Jun 2002, Robert Brandtjen wrote:

> On Tuesday 18 June 2002 04:18 pm, you wrote:
> > iTools does shield you from the intricacies of the Apache
> > configuration files.  That's exactly the point of iTools.  It has a
> > browser-based gui for the set up and management of Apache, DNS, FTP.
> > Just like WebTen (which you are familar with).
>
> yes, but it also does some very unorthodox (read Apple nonsense) things like
> have all Virtual Hosts use a server wide cgi-bin - it's much safer (server
> wide means SERVER WIDE) to have individual cgi-bins which belong to user
> nobody or else user apache - which ever apache runs as and accessible by the
> webmaster for the site.

It is true that both WebTen and iTools allow an easy method for webmasters
to create individual cgi-bin directories for each virtual host.  Our
manual has step-by-step instructions for how to do this.  If enough users
request it, we may choose to make this the default.  As it is now, we let
our customers choose.

>
> WHich is another of Apple's failings - you cannot "jail" process' on OSX, they
> have not (*lord knows why) made such an option possible. Instead, if a hacker
> gains control of the daemon on OSX, he has assumed "root". most likely.
> Daemons run in a "jailed" environment on linux - or at least it is set up
> that way, some fools may choose to run outside it. THus when a hacker gets
> in, he gets nothing more then the daemon, which is usally not even capable of
> changing it's own config files.

I'm not sure what you mean by "jail" processes.  Tenon's software takes
special care to make sure that services such as web (Apache) and mail
(Sendmail) run as users other than root to avoid serious breaches in
security even if a hacker compromises either service.

>
> config files in unix are nothing more complicated then a human readable
> preference file in OS 9 - thin how wonderful it would be to be able to read
> and change your preference files in OS 9 - instead, you throw them in the
> trash preiodicaly and reload and reset them when they get corrupted.

I completely agree with you about the benefits of text-based configuration
files.  Look at the mess that is the Windows Registry!  The Mac OS 9
configuration system makes the Windows Registry seem sensical.

Erik.