Very Computer

I need to do minor monitoring of a user.  Mostfly when he uses ftp,
ncftp, and sz programs.  Is there an easy way I can do this?

--

Is it possible for you to change his .profile so that he is running under
a script of your choice, rather than his usual shell?

|> Is it possible for you to change his .profile so that he is running under
|> a script of your choice, rather than his usual shell?

Wouldn't a change in the .profile be easily found by the user?
Really, the best way to do this is to change the user's default shell entry in the
/etc/passwd file.  The .profile is only read if the user is using sh or ksh.

--
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

System Administrator/Philosopher                            o
Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division            /|-'
Dahlgren, VA                                               `|\ o
                                                            ` `
"I don't want to achieve immortality through my work,  I want to achieve
 it by not dying."  -Woody Allen
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Actually, the best way to monitor a user is with the acctcom command, which
is available with sysv version of UNIX.  (It's part of the accounting
package.)  Basically, with it, every command typed is saved to a file.  You
use the acctcom command to extract the info.  However, not every system has
such an accounting scheme.  
        Having a .profile that the root owns, with the needed logging isn't
good, because what if the user starts to use a /bin/csh instead?  The best
way is to get the source for sh (bsd's is free)  and add in the ability to
create a log file, where every command is saved.  During the times you want
to log all activity, replace the current /bin/sh with yours.  Hopefully, no
one will know.  There are some problems with this: 1) lots of users means lots
of space used by log files.  (Rotate them, delete them after looking through
them)  2) Your current sh may be slightly different than the bsd's.  3) Search
for the users stuff will take abit. (grep is fine, but if you only want one
user, major wasted space.)  4) It assumes you have the ability to get the
sh or csh source, and can recompile it, and know of some systems programming
to modify it.
        At the site I run, the computer is use as an instrament, and they
usually need a log book.  The accounting system for us here is perfect, because
we get the exact time of use, and the exact commands used.  I did have to
re-write some xdm config files to store login/logout times, since our version
is quite brain dead...
        Good luck, I wish I could be of more help...
--
                Virtually,
                Edward Wolpert

---------------------------



---------------------------
I'm  sorry, but Godot isn't here today. Perhaps if you came back tomorrow...