Advanced Programming in the UNIX® Environment

ptg10805159

Section 8.11Changing User IDs and Group IDs 255

#include "apue.h"

int

main(int argc, char *argv[])

{

int i;

char **ptr;

extern char **environ;

for (i = 0; i < argc; i++) /* echo all command-line args */

printf("argv[%d]: %s\n", i, argv[i]);

for (ptr = environ; *ptr != 0; ptr++) /* and all env strings */

printf("%s\n", *ptr);

exit(0);

}

Figure 8.17 Echo all command-line arguments and all environment strings

When we execute the program from Figure8.16, we get

$./a.out

argv[0]: echoall

argv[1]: myarg1

argv[2]: MY ARG2

USER=unknown

PATH=/tmp

$argv[0]: echoall

argv[1]: only 1 arg

USER=sar

LOGNAME=sar

SHELL=/bin/bash

47 morelines that aren’tshown

HOME=/home/sar

Note that the shell prompt appeared beforethe printing ofargv[0]from the second

exec.This occurred because the parent did notwaitfor this child process to finish.

8.11 Changing User IDs and Group IDs

In the UNIX System, privileges, such as being able to change the system’s notion of the

current date, and access control, such as being able to read or write a particular file, are

based on user and group IDs. When our programs need additional privileges or need

to gain access to resources that they currently aren’t allowed to access, they need to

change their user or group ID to an ID that has the appropriate privilege or access.

Similarly,when our programs need to lower their privileges or prevent access to certain

resources, they do so by changing either their user ID or group ID to an ID without the

privilege or ability access to the resource.