Executing a script as another user still cause some permission trouble

Question

I have to execute this script with PHP. The user www-data can't do it, so I modified the sudoers file:

www-data ALL=(user2) NOPASSWD: /home/user2/bin/test.sh

The script is executed in php with this command :

sudo -u user2 /home/user2/bin/test.sh

Here is test.sh script:

#!/bin/bash
#Stopping previous server
screen -S minecraft -X stuff "stop^M"
#deleting the map file
rm -Rf /home/minecraft/Serveur/*/  
# deleting the properties file
rm -f /home/minecraft/Serveur/server.properties 
#new server properties
cp /home/minecraft/MapsEtServ.prop/Bloody/server.properties /home/minecraft/Serveur/server.properties
#new map
cp -R /home/minecraft/MapsEtServ.prop/Bloody/'Bloody Mess v1.0' /home/minecraft/Serveur/'Bloody Mess v1.0' 
#launching the game server
screen -dmS minecraft java -Xmx4096M -Xms4096M -jar  /home/minecraft/Serveur/minecraft_server.jar nogui 

/home/minecraft/Serveur and /home/minecraft/MapsEtServ.prop permissions are set to 777.

What happens when I execute the script via SSH: everything works fine.

But when I execute it with php: the screen is stopped, the files are paste and the screen is launched. But there is a problem: the game server is not running.

EDIT : The Probleme is solved ! I just added a cd /home/minecraft/Serveur/ at the beginning of the script and everything works just fine :)

Solution

From terminal, using sudo visudo command, edit sudoers file, and add the following line exactly as it is:

www-data ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /home/user2/bin/test.sh

See https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RootSudo#Allowing_other_users_to_run_sudo in this sense.

Then, in php use only sudo /home/user2/bin/test.sh command. For example:

<?php shell_exec('sudo /home/user2/bin/test.sh'); ?>

Comments

[Babajaga]

I just edited it, line 3 it is -Rf not -rf. I works, just tested and I created it by myself.

[Babajaga]

no they are not :) I just add them here to clarify my question. i don't get what you mean by where it work.

[Radu Rădeanu]

In php, what is the result of this line: <?php echo shell_exec('whoami'); ?>

[Babajaga]

the result is www-data. If i execute the script without changing user, I can't acces the screen because it is owned by www-data. Now, the other user is the owner of the screen.

[Babajaga]

So I modified visudo sorry, my bad

[Babajaga]

I did exactly what you said. This is really weird, the server started, the map folder and the properties were cp, but the server completly ignored those two and he generated another map as if there where no map folder in the same folder ...

[Radu Rădeanu]

@Babajaga In php, what is the result of this line: <?php echo shell_exec('echo $HOME'); ?>

[Babajaga]

Nothing, its shows nothing.

[Babajaga]

I can't change the script. I have a lots of other files in the /home/minecraft/Serveur folder

[Radu Rădeanu]

@Babajaga Ok, don't change it. Then set a home directory for www-data user. To do this, edit /etc/passwd file (with sudo gedit /etc/passwd for example), find www-data user and add /home/minecraft directory for him. Something like: www-data:x:1002:1002:www-data:/home/minecraft:/bin/sh. Add only the directory name, nothing else!