As well as a unified front end to lots of packages the other missing product on a linux platform seems to me to be a secure way of allowing pupils access to their filestores from home. The Microsoft solution allows the users to browse to their filestore and download files and then upload them again later. It implements a filelocking system for shared files. Not that I am saying the Microsoft solution is secure but that I would expect any solution I implement to be secure! Steve Douglas Central Manchester CLC/Trinity High School
As well as a unified front end to lots of packages the other missing product on a linux platform seems to me to be a secure way of allowing pupils access to their filestores from home. The Microsoft solution allows the users to browse to their filestore and download files and then upload them again later. It implements a filelocking system for shared files.
We tell them to use WinSCP (that is, those with Windows clients). It seems to access our FreeBSD filestores very happily. -- Christopher Dawkins, Felsted School, Dunmow, Essex CM6 3JG 01371-822698, mobile 07816 821659 cchd@felsted.essex.sch.uk
On Monday 17 January 2005 13:17, Christopher Dawkins wrote:
We tell them to use WinSCP (that is, those with Windows clients). It seems to access our FreeBSD filestores very happily. ...but sadly, that means that the compromised Windows clients (in practice, nearly all of them) will then be passing your FreeBSD usernames and passwords on to the miscreants who installed the keystroke sniffers. -- Phil Driscoll
We tell them to use WinSCP (that is, those with Windows clients). It seems to access our FreeBSD filestores very happily.
...but sadly, that means that the compromised Windows clients (in practice, nearly all of them) will then be passing your FreeBSD usernames and passwords on to the miscreants who installed the keystroke sniffers.
True, and this or similar things have already happened, and it's a nuisance clearing it up - however, the damage is done only to the compromised pupil. Except that one time a few years ago a student in Latvia started running infinite-loop gobble-up-memory-and-CPU tasks (very short C proggies) on our main server, but after noticing glue-like performance during period one I zapped them period 2, identified the culprit with the help of his systems administrator at the University of Riga and had an interesting exchange of apologies and views with him. -- Christopher Dawkins, Felsted School, Dunmow, Essex CM6 3JG 01371-822698, mobile 07816 821659 cchd@felsted.essex.sch.uk
With Karoshi we use Usermin.
It does exactly what you said above, its a bit tricky to install on
its own, but with Karoshi its all done for you so no problems :)
Jo
On Mon, 17 Jan 2005 13:39:09 +0000 (GMT), Christopher Dawkins
We tell them to use WinSCP (that is, those with Windows clients). It seems to access our FreeBSD filestores very happily.
...but sadly, that means that the compromised Windows clients (in practice, nearly all of them) will then be passing your FreeBSD usernames and passwords on to the miscreants who installed the keystroke sniffers.
True, and this or similar things have already happened, and it's a nuisance clearing it up - however, the damage is done only to the compromised pupil. Except that one time a few years ago a student in Latvia started running infinite-loop gobble-up-memory-and-CPU tasks (very short C proggies) on our main server, but after noticing glue-like performance during period one I zapped them period 2, identified the culprit with the help of his systems administrator at the University of Riga and had an interesting exchange of apologies and views with him.
-- Christopher Dawkins, Felsted School, Dunmow, Essex CM6 3JG 01371-822698, mobile 07816 821659 cchd@felsted.essex.sch.uk
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--- Phil Driscoll
...but sadly, that means that the compromised Windows clients (in practice, nearly all of them) will then be passing your FreeBSD usernames and passwords on to the miscreants who installed the keystroke sniffers.
At a push (perhaps more a leap of faith), you *could* use {web,user}min as a means of allowing this -- but they're both *complete* shit, and break any manner of things I won't go into here. So, a more pratical solution -- ssh, more specifically sftp. I'm sure there are a number of windows clients that support it (I thought 'gftp' had been ported to windows, but...). As for file locking -- you can emulate this, but it depends whether it is predominately a shared filestore or not, and more importantly if multiple updates might happen... but perhaps unlikely for a school network system. Heck, I don't even get that privilege here at Uni. :| -- Thomas Adam ===== "The Linux Weekend Mechanic" -- http://linuxgazette.net "TAG Editor" -- http://linuxgazette.net "<shrug> We'll just save up your sins, Thomas, and punish you for all of them at once when you get better. The experience will probably kill you. :)" -- Benjamin A. Okopnik (Linux Gazette Technical Editor) ___________________________________________________________ ALL-NEW Yahoo! Messenger - all new features - even more fun! http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com
participants (5)
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Christopher Dawkins -
linuxgirlie -
Phil Driscoll -
Steve Douglas -
Thomas Adam