exec() working/not working

autumn

Hi all,

I'm trying to use exec() to run a shell script and a perl script.

When I run the php file in command like (#php -q test.php) the shell and perl script are executed beautifully.

But when I try and run the same test.php file from a browser, the perl and shell scripts don't get executed!!

what is the problem??? I've checked permissions and everything to no avail.

any ideas?

thanks
A

dalecosp

Seems likely, then, that the web user has no shell. Standard practice, for example with Apache on 'Nix, is to give the web-server user (id==www || id==nobody, etc.) /sbin/nologin as the shell ... therefore, the web user can't do any shell activity...

Are we in UNIX/Linux? Try:

$ more /etc/passwd | grep www

(or, try grepping "nobody" or "httpd"...) If the web user has no shell listed, there's the rub...

I recently put up a discussion regarding this in the Echo Lounge; although, I must say, thus far, it hasn't garnered much attention 🙂

autumn

but that's the problem 🙁

I can run other shell commands via the browser just not this one in particular:



<?PHP

$user_name = "pebbles";
$new_pass = "flintstone";


if(($user_name) AND ($new_pass)){

exec("perl -e \"use ejoe::util; ejoe::util::setUserPassword ('$user_name', '$new_pass');\"");


exec("/sbin/ejoe/db accounts setprop $user_name PasswordSet yes");


}



?>

dalecosp

Have you tried to see if it's one, the other, or both calls that fails?

<?PHP 

$user_name = "pebbles"; 
$new_pass = "flintstone"; 


if(($user_name) AND ($new_pass)){ 

if ($fred=exec("perl -e \"use ejoe::util; ejoe::util::setUserPassword ('$user_name', '$new_pass');\"") ) {
   echo "\$fred is $fred";
   }

// etc.

?>

tsinka

Hi,

two suggestions:

1)
check if the web user has a valid environment. The PATH environment variable might not be set for that user so you might need to use the complete path to perl in the exec call, e.g.:

exec("/usr/bin/perl -e \\"use ejoe::util;ejoe::util::setUserPassword('$user_name', '$new_pass');\\"");

2)
The web server user might not have the permissions to execute apps in /sbin so it might not be able to execute /sbin/ejoe/db.

If you log in as a regular user and execute the script on the console you most like have the permissions to execute /sbin/ejoe/db.