Re: Updates of SE-PostgreSQL 8.4devel patches (r1268)

Tom Lane wrote:
> Bruce Momjian <bruce(at)momjian(dot)us> writes:
> > Let me outline the simplest API, assuming we are using table-level
> > granularity for the security columns.
> > CREATE TABLE would support
> > WITH (ROWACL = TRUE/FALSE);
> > for row-level acl and:
> > WITH (SECEXT = TRUE/FALSE);
> > for SE-Linux, with 'SECEXTL' standing for SECurity EXTernal or
> > SECurity_contEXT.
>
> Wait a minute. The original argument for providing SQL-driven row level
> security was that it would help provide a framework for testing the code
> and doing something useful with it on non-selinux platforms. Now we
> seem to be proposing two independent implementations --- which, even
> if similar, could still suffer different bugs (due to copy-and-pasteos
> if nothing else). So the testing argument goes right out the window.
> Also, this is getting even further afield from any capability that
> anyone actually asked for.

Yep, no question. The two-column idea happened because ignoring the
rowacl value for SE-Linux seemed wrong, but I am fine with it.

> I think there should be only *one* underlying column and that it should
> be manipulable by either SQL commands or selinux. Otherwise you're
> making a lie of the primary argument for having the SQL feature at all.

True.

> It's possible that some people would want to insist that only selinux
> be used to manipulate the settings, but I think that could be addressed
> by a compile-time option to disable the SQL commands.

Yes, an SE-Linux compile could throw errors for those commands.

--
Bruce Momjian <bruce(at)momjian(dot)us> http://momjian.us
EnterpriseDB http://enterprisedb.com

+ If your life is a hard drive, Christ can be your backup. +