[Decaf-devel] Copy-on-Write-to-Discard Homedirs

[Joachim Breitner]

Hi,

Am Mittwoch, den 13.12.2006, 20:58 +0000 schrieb Luis Matos:
> I don't look at decaf as a CDD but as debian package.
> if you install libpam-decaf you WANT to use it. ok, maybe you don't
> activate it, but provide all the files for it. The administrator will
> only copy the file to the right location.
> 
> for example, provide /usr/share/doc/libpam-decaf/examples/decaf.pam to
> administrator to copy to /etc/pam/pam.d/ .

That is a good point, an example pam file makes sense. 

> in decaf.conf we maybe also add the use of timecode logins and/or dbuser
> logins (extending the decaf's current database in the future).

When you say dbuser, do you just mean that username and password is
stored in the postgresql, but technically the same unix user will be
used, or do you mean real system users?

> i think for a current 0.2 goal we should implement 100% timecode and
> have it tested.

Agreed.

> so, if i'm right, decaf client (libpam) works like:
> 
>  -> user is asked for timecode.
>  -> user logins as decaf_user (defined in conf)
Correct

>  -> a tempfs is mounted as user's home
Not entirely correct. Using tempfs and unionfs, they have the
normal /home/decaf directory as their home directory, with possible
modifications (panel objects, backgrounds etc.) by the cafe owner, but
all chanes will go to the tempfs and then removed after the user logs
out. This ensures that the home directory stays intact, and that a
customer can’t mess up the next customers environment.

I’m thinking about the best way to offer the cafe administrator to log
in without this layer to make permanent modifications to the decaf
user’s settings.


What are you going to use DeCaf for, if I may ask? You said you run an
internet cafe. Where is it? How large is it?

Thanks,
Joachim
-- 
Joachim Breitner
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