Re: [RFD] 'nice' attribute for executable files

Bodo Eggert
2005-03-30T07:32:04Z

Wiktor <victorjan@poczta.onet.pl> wrote:

> furthermore, on many systems root may want to make users able to run
> some program with lowered nice, but not from root account and without
> having to know the root password... i've found a way to do this using
> shell scripts combined with suid bit and strange fils ownerships, but it
> is absolute diseaster.

You want su1, or maybe sudo.

> so i thought that it would be nice to add an attribute to file
> (changable only for root) that would modify nice value of process when
> it starts. if there is one byte free in ext2/3 file metadata, maybe it
> could be used for that? i think that it woundn't be more dangerous than
> setuid bit.

Remember: xmms might be configured to spawn the shell plugin.

I guess there should be a maximum renice value ulimit instead, which would
allow running allmost any user task on a higher nice level, except the
important stuff, with the additional benefit of being able to temporarily
renice some tasks until the more important work is done.

I remember something similar being discussed for realtime tasks, but I don't
remember the outcome.