[rad] Re: SOLVED Re: pseudo-newbie exec scripts and session-time

[Charles Gregory]

Well, keeping in mind that this is now a philosphical discussion...

On Fri, 12 Jun 2009, Alan DeKok wrote:
> Charles Gregory wrote:
>> I did try to follow the oft-quoted (almost shoved down my throat)
>> example, right from the comments within the config file....
>> postauth {
>>    Session-Timeout := `%{exec:/usr/local/etc/timecalc %{User-Name}}`
>> }
>  No... that won't work.  The examples given to you weren't like that.

Well, firstly, no one *gave* me 'examples', they said just to look in my 
radiusd.conf, and secondly, yes, it's exactly 'like that':

         #  put 'exec' into the 'instantiate' section.  You can then
         #  do dynamic translation of attributes like:
         #
         #  Attribute-Name = `%{exec:/path/to/program args}`
         #
         #  The value of the attribute will be replaced with the output

Notice the complete lack of instruction as to WHERE I would use that
syntax.... Both in the comments AND from you, I might add....

>  No.  The 2.x documentation describes how it's used, and where it's
> used.

What part of "I'm using 1.x" did you not get? If nothing else, this 
statement proves that you were wrong to tell me to look in my 1.x config 
files for the documentation which you now say is only in the 2.x files.

>  Even in 1.x, the radiusd.conf file contained an example module "echo"
> that did this.

And it's 'example' of usage was:

         #  This is a more general example of the execute module.
         #  This one is called "echo".
         #
         #  Attribute-Name = `%{echo:/path/to/program args}`
         #
         #  If you wish to execute an external program in more than

So there again is this "usage" that gives no hint of WHERE it is used.
Certainly not in the sections of radiusd.conf where the newbie (me)
would expect commands to go. You know, a post-auth command in the 
post-auth section..... I get the feeling that this comment is a holdover 
from some earlier version of FR where the *only* place one could assign 
attributes was in the user file, or something like that, so there was no 
'need' to define where syntax like that was used.... (shrug)

>  While the documentation isn't perfect, a lot of this *is* documented.
> And a lot of the unhelpful answers on this list are instructing people
> to read the documentation.

And so, hopefully after posting all this garbage yet again, and quoting, I 
hope sufficiently, you can see that I *did* read all the comments in the 
config file, and what you THINK is there really is not there.

- Charles