Allowing users to run script via /etc/sudoers and permissions
I'd like users in staff group who do not have admin/root permissions to run the following script without being prompted for a password. This is in OSX.
Note that /usr/sbin/serveradmin requires root/sudo privileges.
I've tried adding the following to my /etc/sudoers, but it does not work. Script has permissions of 755.
%staff ALL=NOPASSWD: /usr/sbin/serveradmin stop smb,/usr/sbin/serveradmin start smb
%staff ALL=NOPASSWD: /bin/sh /opt/scripts/restart-smb
Here's the shell script:
#!/bin/bash
#
# This script simply restarts SMB (Samba)
#
echo "Stopping SMB..."
/usr/sbin/serveradmin stop smb
echo "Pausing for 30 seconds..."
/bin/sleep 30
echo "Starting SMB..."
/usr/sbin/serveradmin start smb
echo "Script complete!"
Your ideas, suggestions most appreciated!
Dan
Answer
WARNING while playing with the /etc/sudoers file managing users privilege and permissions, I CRASHED Ubuntu.
Normal login was not possible anymore. I got a parsing error coming from a simple space missing between # and % character in a line I wrongly commented #%sudo ALL=NOPASSWD: /pathtoscripts/script.sh . I had to recover it with the install/liveCD mounting again the hardrive filesystem, put back the original file in place and dismount the volume for recording changes.
For the above reason I would NOT RECOMMEND THIS METHOD first because it modifies /etc/sudoers privileges critical file. Choose first alternatives available unless:
you have a good back up of your data outside of your PC
you are not afraid to take the risk to repair/reinstall your system
you know the RIGHT SYNTAX of the /etc/sudoers file, trials and parsing errors could cost you a lot of time and/or efforts/crashes...
Reading the other posts, I managed to get it work on my system, managing permissions through a group:
I created the group mygroup
sudo groupadd mygroup
I added the user myuser which will execute the script
sudo usermod -a -G mygroup myuser
I added at the END of /etc/sudoers the entry, otherwise the privilege are overwritten by the previous lines (be careful with syntax)
%mygroup ALL=NOPASSWD: /mypath/to/myscripts/myscript.sh
The above script myscript.sh must have execute permission
sudo ugo+x /mypath/to/myscripts/myscript.sh
This script will then be able to be launched by the user myuser directly as below wihtout prompting for password anymore
sudo /mypath/to/myscripts/myscript.sh
Alternatively, the script can be launched within another one in a same way
I found another way without creating a group, adding to /etc/sudoers file (at the END of file) the line:
%sudo ALL=NOPASSWD: /mypath/to/myscripts/myscript.sh
In case the script must only be launched by a few existing users myuser1, myuser2, it is always possible to only add to /etc/sudoers (at the END of file) the lines :
myuser1 ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /mypath/to/myscripts/myscript.sh
myuser2 ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /mypath/to/myscripts/myscript.sh