How to get the output of java apps in a php web script?

Question

Hi,

I have written a Java application that runs from the command line. I want to allow users to access this via a simple PHP web interface - it'll just allow them to specify certain parameters, and then execute the java app and return the output.

For some reason, I'm getting a 'Permission Denied' error message when I try to do anything with Java, even something as simple as:

shell_exec('/usr/bin/java -version 2>&1');

returns 'sh: /usr/bin/java: Permission denied ' when run through a browser.

If I give apache a shell account and log in as apache, I can execute this command fine.

Is there some kind of setting preventing the JVM running if there is no associated tty? How can I get this to work? I'm running PHP 5.3.2.

Thanks

Answer 1

Your application host may be confined with a tool like AppArmor or SELinux or TOMOYO or SMACK, or similar confinement tools.

It would be very simple to confine an Apache to allow executing /usr/bin/whoami but not /usr/bin/java.

Ask your system administrator to grant access to java and your jars for you.