[Info-vax] Why is INSTALL.EXE privileged?

[Richard B. Gilbert]

On 2/12/2011 4:41 PM, Peter 'EPLAN' LANGSTOEGER wrote:
> In article<howard-37FCA5.12571412022011 at atoulouse-552-1-42-74.w92-136.abo.wanadoo.fr>, Howard S Shubs<howard at shubs.net>  writes:
>> In article<4d56c01b$1 at news.langstoeger.at>,
>> peter at langstoeger.at (Peter 'EPLAN' LANGSTOeGER) wrote:
>>
>>> The nice (youtube) video on openvmshobbyist.org reminded me of a question I
>>> had (in the 80ies and) long forgotten:
>>>
>>> Why is INSTALL.EXE installed with privileges?
>>
>> INSTALL changes system structures.  It makes images "known".  It can
>> give those images privileges.
>
> In case you haven't noted the rest of my posting:
>
> Why does the image (INSTALL.EXE) need the privileges?
> This is system managers duty, and system managers have privs already.
> So, no need for the image to have the privileges as well (or at all)...
>
> Nice try, but think again
>

I can't think of WHY INSTALL should be installed with privileges.  Doing 
so could allow anyone to install images, possibly with privileges
unless access to INSTALL.EXE is restricted.

I can't think of a reason why a user should be able to install images.
It's entirely possible that someone has a valid reason to need the 
necessary privileges but this need should be carefully documented.