diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'doc')
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/manual/installation.xml | 78 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/manual/release-notes.xml | 16 |
2 files changed, 18 insertions, 76 deletions
diff --git a/doc/manual/installation.xml b/doc/manual/installation.xml index 9d1a7e755c53..a136d3b1129e 100644 --- a/doc/manual/installation.xml +++ b/doc/manual/installation.xml @@ -380,7 +380,7 @@ group should be the build users group, and it should have the sticky bit turned on (like <filename>/tmp</filename>): <screen> -$ chgrp nixbld /nix/store +$ chown root.nixbld /nix/store $ chmod 1775 /nix/store </screen> @@ -401,15 +401,7 @@ build-users-group = nixbld </section> -<section><title>Nix store/database owned by root</title> - -<para>The simplest setup is to let <literal>root</literal> own the Nix -store and database. I.e., - -<screen> -$ chown -R root /nix/store /nix/var/nix</screen> - -</para> +<section><title>Running the daemon</title> <para>The <link linkend="sec-nix-daemon">Nix daemon</link> should be started as follows (as <literal>root</literal>): @@ -433,72 +425,6 @@ into the users’ login scripts.</para> </section> -<section><title>Nix store/database not owned by root</title> - -<para>It is also possible to let the Nix store and database be owned -by a non-root user, which should be more secure<footnote><para>Note -however that even when the Nix daemon runs as root, not -<emphasis>that</emphasis> much code is executed as root: Nix -expression evaluation is performed by the calling (unprivileged) user, -and builds are performed under the special build user accounts. So -only the code that accesses the database and starts builds is executed -as <literal>root</literal>.</para></footnote>. Typically, this user -is a special account called <literal>nix</literal>, but it can be -named anything. It should own the Nix store and database: - -<screen> -$ chown -R nix /nix/store /nix/var/nix</screen> - -and of course <command>nix-daemon</command> should be started under -that user, e.g., - -<screen> -$ su - nix -c "exec /nix/bin/nix-daemon"</screen> - -</para> - -<para>There is a catch, though: non-<literal>root</literal> users -cannot start builds under the build user accounts, since the -<function>setuid</function> system call is obviously privileged. To -allow a non-<literal>root</literal> Nix daemon to use the build user -feature, it calls a setuid-root helper program, -<command>nix-setuid-helper</command>. This program is installed in -<filename><replaceable>prefix</replaceable>/libexec/nix-setuid-helper</filename>. -To set the permissions properly (Nix’s <command>make install</command> -doesn’t do this, since we don’t want to ship setuid-root programs -out-of-the-box): - -<screen> -$ chown root.root /nix/libexec/nix-setuid-helper -$ chmod 4755 /nix/libexec/nix-setuid-helper -</screen> - -(This example assumes that the Nix binaries are installed in -<filename>/nix</filename>.)</para> - -<para>Of course, the <command>nix-setuid-helper</command> command -should not be usable by just anybody, since then anybody could run -commands under the Nix build user accounts. For that reason there is -a configuration file <filename>/etc/nix-setuid.conf</filename> that -restricts the use of the helper. This file should be a text file -containing precisely two lines, the first being the Nix daemon user -and the second being the build users group, e.g., - -<programlisting> -nix -nixbld -</programlisting> - -The setuid-helper barfs if it is called by a user other than the one -specified on the first line, or if it is asked to execute a build -under a user who is not a member of the group specified on the second -line. The file <filename>/etc/nix-setuid.conf</filename> must be -owned by root, and must not be group- or world-writable. The -setuid-helper barfs if this is not the case.</para> - -</section> - - <section><title>Restricting access</title> <para>To limit which users can perform Nix operations, you can use the diff --git a/doc/manual/release-notes.xml b/doc/manual/release-notes.xml index 5d057881dbc0..3db083870405 100644 --- a/doc/manual/release-notes.xml +++ b/doc/manual/release-notes.xml @@ -7,6 +7,22 @@ <!--==================================================================--> +<section xml:id="ssec-relnotes-1.7"><title>Release 1.7 (TBA)</title> + +<para>This release has the following changes:</para> + +<itemizedlist> + + <listitem><para><command>nix-setuid-helper</command> is + gone.</para></listitem> + +</itemizedlist> + +</section> + + +<!--==================================================================--> + <section xml:id="ssec-relnotes-1.6.1"><title>Release 1.6.1 (October 28, 2013)</title> <para>This is primarily a bug fix release. Changes of interest |