Subject: Re: why no telnet for root?
To: Jell-O <wookie@us.net>
From: Jason Thorpe <thorpej@nas.nasa.gov>
List: port-mac68k
Date: 08/22/1996 08:00:02
On Thu, 22 Aug 1996 03:53:28 -0400 (EDT) 
 Jell-O <wookie@us.net> wrote:

 > BSDI will allow root to login.  Althought it is not a great idea to 
 > allow root to login, I believe that it should at least be an option.
 > How about we make it an option for our kernel configs?  Let's set it
 > to default to no root login; this will at least allow people to have
 > this option.  

NetBSD can allow remote root login, too.  Just mark all of the ptys as 
"secure" in /etc/ttys:

ttyp0   none                    network off secure
[ . . . ]

(Note, you use "off" because you don't want init(8) to spawn a getty on 
that terminal.)

I.e. the kernel has nothing to do with it.

In this context, "secure" means "In a location that's safe for root to 
log in at."

My recommendation, of course, is that you do _not_ allow remote root 
logins .. it's just not a safe, sane thing to do.

 -- save the ancient forests - http://www.bayarea.net/~thorpej/forest/ -- 
Jason R. Thorpe                                       thorpej@nas.nasa.gov
NASA Ames Research Center                               Home: 408.866.1912
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