I don't want to go down the chroot path.  So here is my question, I'd like 
to create the paths:

/www/user1/public_html
/www/user2/public_html
/www/user3/public_html

With each virtual server's document root set to their relative public_html 
path.  But instead of running apache as nobody, I'd like to have it run 
respectively as user1, user2, and user3.  This way I could set the various 
userx folders to 0770 so no one can access them except Apache, the owner, 
and the group.

Is this possible?

Not using a standard edition of apache, no. The HTTP daemon runs as nobody 
_because_ "nobody" has no rights on the system. This sandboxes the process 
and makes it impossible to hijack it, to carry out malicious operations on 
the host. Remember that, across hypertext, the idea of a Unix permissions 
system has no meaning: all users are anonymous. In the WierdOS NT world 
they actually have a user they call "IUSER_machinename", that they use to 
identify this anonymous web-user to the system: it's an alias for their 
version of nobody.


Daniel Walker


glasshaus Support


http://www.glasshaus.com


glasshaus books: labor saving devices for web professionals




> I don't want to go down the chroot path.  So here is my question, I'd 
like 


t> o create the paths:




> /www/user1/public_html


/> www/user2/public_html


/> www/user3/public_html




> With each virtual server's document root set to their relative 
public_html 


p> ath.  But instead of running apache as nobody, I'd like to have it run 


r> espectively as user1, user2, and user3.  This way I could set the 
various 


u> serx folders to 0770 so no one can access them except Apache, the owner, 


a> nd the group.




> Is this possible?