not run .profile

[sabre]

red hat enterprise 3 - the users have a .profile in their home directory that causes them to execute a program when they login. In essence, they go directly into the program, and when they leave the program, they are logged out.

What causes me grief is that the file system permissions are horrible - the database and executables are all 777 (not my work but the vendors).

As long as they cannot get to a command prompt, in theory, the file permissions are not a problem, not to say they are right.

My question is this - is it possible to bypass the running of the .profile at login time, and get to a command prompt?

Thanks.

John.

[dkeav]

i take it this is over ssh?

if so they could just scp a new .profile over to their account overwriting the old one, but then again im not rocket scientist like your vendor

[redhead]

If they are located directly at the terminal, they can press <shift> while pressing enter at the login promt, and get a fresh login, meaning the systems default .tcsh/.bash/.profile/etc without their $HOME/.profile beeing run..
Now I have no idear if your vendor have been clever enough to exchange the system default ones with their tampered one, but if any user have problems with something like their personal .tcsh/.bash/etc they are most likely to try that option, in order to get a fresh start.. Or atleast to try and recover from their previus failed attempt..
I have no idear of yoru users capability in this direction, but if they're used to using larger UNIX/SUN networks, they know of this option, and might be reluctant to try it out, just to see what they can snoop around below their usual vantage point on the system.. I know I would, if I found myself bound by an app like the one you're describing.

But like dkeav, I'm no rocket scientist....

[sabre]

Ouch. I'm still a newbie myself, or I'd have thought of that. Simply too elegant in its simplicity! Thanks. John.