UUCP on macOS / *BSD

[Grant Taylor]

On 7/1/20 9:19 PM, Chris Hanson wrote:
> macOS switched to launchd from inetd a very long time ago. If you're 
> going to use macOS as a UUCP node you'll want to enable the 
> com.apple.uucp service, which will ensure uucico is run for you by the 
> system.

I understand what you're saying, and why you're saying it.  But, it's 
not germane to how I'm installing, much less using UUCP on macOS.

1)  I'm sending UUCP traffic /through/ SSH's STDIO.  The calling machine 
initiates an outbound SSH connection to the called machine and launches 
uucico (-r0) inside of said SSH connection.  There is no need for 
anything listening for TCP connections for UUCP.

2)  The macOS system is initiating outbound ""calls to push and / or 
pull files from the neighbor (term?) node.

> That's a macOS difference, not a BSD one. I don't *think* you need to 
> re-add any setuid or setgid bits, but I could be mistaken.

I most definitely did have to re-add setuid and setgid bits.

> It's been a very long time since I've actually used UUCP. If they do 
> need to be made setuid or setgid, that sounds like a bug.

Then it may very well be a bug.

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that I'm one of the very few people 
trying to use UUCP in contemporary macOS.

> In macOS 10.14-10.15 these files are indeed covered by system integrity 
> protection, I think that's probably a bug since they need to be edited 
> by a sysadmin to use UUCP.

Possibly.

I don't mind needing to /temporarily/ disable SIP.  But I can see how 
the need to do so is probably a bug or design flaw.

> PS - Here's the UUCP source for recent macOS: 
> https://opensource.apple.com/source/uucp/uucp-12/

ACK



-- 
Grant. . . .
unix || die