Re: Allow linking against OpenSSL? (Was Re: [GENERAL] Debian package for freeradius_postgresql module)

2006-04-11 Thread Alan DeKok
Nicolas Baradakis [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
 Perhaps it's fine if the copyright owners distribute the binaries
 themselves, I don't know.

  Copyright owners can do whatever they want with their copyrighted
material, including changing the copyright, or distributing the
material in ways that are denied to others.

 Aside the legal problem, I believe it's a great idea: we could provide
 an apt repository with the latest version of FreeRADIUS for Debian
 stable, testing and unstable.

  Ok.  Let's get it set up.

  If we go down that route, though, I'd like to make RPM's available,
Solaris PKG's, etc.  That involves some additional resources which
might not be readily available.

  Alan DeKok.
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Re: Allow linking against OpenSSL? (Was Re: [GENERAL] Debian package for freeradius_postgresql module)

2006-04-11 Thread Tyler MacDonald
Alan DeKok [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
 Nicolas Baradakis [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
  Perhaps it's fine if the copyright owners distribute the binaries
  themselves, I don't know.
 
   Copyright owners can do whatever they want with their copyrighted
 material, including changing the copyright, or distributing the
 material in ways that are denied to others.
 
  Aside the legal problem, I believe it's a great idea: we could provide
  an apt repository with the latest version of FreeRADIUS for Debian
  stable, testing and unstable.
 
   Ok.  Let's get it set up.
 
   If we go down that route, though, I'd like to make RPM's available,
 Solaris PKG's, etc.  That involves some additional resources which
 might not be readily available.

I've had my eye on this package, it may help:

http://www.autobuild.org/

I think even if we do this, I'd like to see the FreeRadius license
change to allow linking against OpenSSL, the OpenSSL license to change to
allow linking against GPL, and the GPL license to change to allow linking
against whatever.

- Tyler

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Re: Allow linking against OpenSSL? (Was Re: [GENERAL] Debian package for freeradius_postgresql module)

2006-04-11 Thread Peter Nixon
On Tue 11 Apr 2006 20:20, Alan DeKok wrote:
 Nicolas Baradakis [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
  Perhaps it's fine if the copyright owners distribute the binaries
  themselves, I don't know.

   Copyright owners can do whatever they want with their copyrighted
 material, including changing the copyright, or distributing the
 material in ways that are denied to others.

  Aside the legal problem, I believe it's a great idea: we could provide
  an apt repository with the latest version of FreeRADIUS for Debian
  stable, testing and unstable.

   Ok.  Let's get it set up.

   If we go down that route, though, I'd like to make RPM's available,
 Solaris PKG's, etc.  That involves some additional resources which
 might not be readily available.

I already make RPMs available on a sporadic basic for SUSE. I had a red carpet 
repo setup also, but havent maintained it recently...

-- 

Peter Nixon
http://www.peternixon.net/
PGP Key: http://www.peternixon.net/public.asc
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Re: Allow linking against OpenSSL? (Was Re: [GENERAL] Debian package for freeradius_postgresql module)

2006-04-10 Thread Nicolas Baradakis
Tyler MacDonald wrote:

   It's rediculous that this is so simple to achieve technically, and
 all products involved are being provided for free, yet there's still all
 this beaurocratic red tape involved in getting them to play nice together...

I understand very well, and I'd like to help Debian to achieve world
domination, too. But I'm really wary of a license change.

Alternatively, is it possible to leave the LICENSE file intact, and to
write an OpenSSL exception as a side note in a different file? I think
I'll have to do some research whether this is valid or not. (if someone
knows of such an example, it'd help)

-- 
Nicolas Baradakis

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Re: Allow linking against OpenSSL? (Was Re: [GENERAL] Debian package for freeradius_postgresql module)

2006-04-10 Thread Tyler MacDonald
Alan DeKok [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
  I also note the current situation is really a minor problem for our
  users, because we're maintaining the necessary files to build the
  Debian packages in our CVS. Anybody can easily build a Debian package
  of the freeradius-postgresql module from a sources tarball with a
  single command line. (dpkg-buildpackage)
   How about an additional idea: I don't think it's a problem for
 copyright owners to distribute binaries, so if we set up a mini apt
 system (say apt.freeradius.org), we could put problematic debian
 packages there.

According to a previous email from nick, you'd have to still put te
license exemption in there to make that happen. Seems kinda odd that
somebody could be liable for violating their own license...

- Tyler
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Re: Allow linking against OpenSSL? (Was Re: [GENERAL] Debian package for freeradius_postgresql module)

2006-04-10 Thread Tyler MacDonald
Tyler MacDonald [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
How about an additional idea: I don't think it's a problem for
  copyright owners to distribute binaries, so if we set up a mini apt
  system (say apt.freeradius.org), we could put problematic debian
  packages there.
 
   According to a previous email from nick, you'd have to still put te
 license exemption in there to make that happen. Seems kinda odd that
 somebody could be liable for violating their own license...

Martijn van Oosterhout posted this topical URL to the PostgreSQL
mailing list:

http://www.gnome.org/~markmc/openssl-and-the-gpl.html

Cheers,
Tyler

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Re: Allow linking against OpenSSL? (Was Re: [GENERAL] Debian package for freeradius_postgresql module)

2006-04-09 Thread Alan DeKok
Nicolas Baradakis [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
 I also note the current situation is really a minor problem for our
 users, because we're maintaining the necessary files to build the
 Debian packages in our CVS. Anybody can easily build a Debian package
 of the freeradius-postgresql module from a sources tarball with a
 single command line. (dpkg-buildpackage)

  That does mitigate a lot of the problems.

  How about an additional idea: I don't think it's a problem for
copyright owners to distribute binaries, so if we set up a mini apt
system (say apt.freeradius.org), we could put problematic debian
packages there.

  Alan DeKok.
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Re: Allow linking against OpenSSL? (Was Re: [GENERAL] Debian package for freeradius_postgresql module)

2006-04-08 Thread Alan DeKok
Tyler MacDonald [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
   Thanks Alan!!! Can we look forward to this clause in the next
 version of FreeRadius? Is the next version due to come out anytime soon?

  The developers have to discuss this, and we have to get buy-in from
people, but I don't expect there's too much of a problem.

  As for the next release, it may be a month or so.

  Alan DeKok.

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Re: Allow linking against OpenSSL? (Was Re: [GENERAL] Debian package for freeradius_postgresql module)

2006-04-08 Thread Nicolas Baradakis
Tyler MacDonald wrote:

 It appears that several other GPL apps have added a special clause
 to their license that allows them to be linked against OpenSSL.

   Could this be done for freeradius/freeradius-postgresql as well?

Personally I really dislike the idea: FreeRADIUS code is released
under the GPL and there is nothing wrong with that. I note there are
many other ways to get a freeradius-postgresql package in Debian.

- Ask Debian to provide a SSL-free package of the PostgreSQL libraries,
  so our freeradius-postgresql package can depend on that.

- Add GnuTLS support to PostgreSQL (someone suggested to work on that
  in the pgsql-general mailing list)
  http://archives.postgresql.org/pgsql-general/2006-04/msg00367.php

- Ask OpenSSL to remove the advertising clause from their license.

I also note the current situation is really a minor problem for our
users, because we're maintaining the necessary files to build the
Debian packages in our CVS. Anybody can easily build a Debian package
of the freeradius-postgresql module from a sources tarball with a
single command line. (dpkg-buildpackage)

-- 
Nicolas Baradakis

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Re: Allow linking against OpenSSL? (Was Re: [GENERAL] Debian package for freeradius_postgresql module)

2006-04-08 Thread Tyler MacDonald
Nicolas Baradakis [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
 - Ask OpenSSL to remove the advertising clause from their license.

This is the most compelling alternative on your list, since this
clause is the reason why all these other software packages have had to add
special clauses to their own licenses.

Has this been attempted before, I wonder...

 I also note the current situation is really a minor problem for our
 users, because we're maintaining the necessary files to build the
 Debian packages in our CVS. Anybody can easily build a Debian package
 of the freeradius-postgresql module from a sources tarball with a
 single command line. (dpkg-buildpackage)

I agree that it's still trivial to get freeradius-postgresql *onto*
a server, but I don't think that makes the problem minor. It requires that
the user has development tools installed on their server, which is not the
most secure thing to do. Either that, or they have to roll their own package
on one system and upload it to their server and maintain that separately
from the rest of their installation. This can have security implications
too, since the end user will have to manually keep an eye out for security
updates instead of just upgrading against security.debian.org.

So you provide a way of debianizing freeradius packages easily, even
ones that aren't included with debian. Given that, another alternative
(admittedly with it's own set of problems) would be an official freeradius
apt repository.

Cheers,
Tyler


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Re: Allow linking against OpenSSL? (Was Re: [GENERAL] Debian package for freeradius_postgresql module)

2006-04-08 Thread Tyler MacDonald
Nicolas Baradakis [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
 Personally I really dislike the idea: FreeRADIUS code is released
 under the GPL and there is nothing wrong with that.

You are right, there is nothing wrong with that. But is there
anything wrong with the FreeRADIUS code released under the GPL with an
additional clause allowing linking against OpenSSL, even as a temporary
measure until either OpenSSL fixes it's license or PostgreSQL supports gnu
TLS? I can't think of anybody or anything that would hurt, and it would have
the immediate practical benefit of allowing the freeradius-postgresql
package into the official debian repo.

- Tyler
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Re: Allow linking against OpenSSL? (Was Re: [GENERAL] Debian package for freeradius_postgresql module)

2006-04-08 Thread Jorgen Rosink
On 4/8/06, Tyler MacDonald [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

 I can't think of anybody or anything that would hurt, and it would have
 the immediate practical benefit of allowing the freeradius-postgresql
 package into the official debian repo.

Beside the postgresql support, this also opens the door to
peap/eap-tls enabled Debian FreeRadius packages. All those 802.1x
Debian users currently have to build their own packages for this
support (although that's really easy with Debian ready upstream
source, as Nicolas mentioned earlier)

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Re: Allow linking against OpenSSL? (Was Re: [GENERAL] Debian package for freeradius_postgresql module)

2006-04-08 Thread Nicolas Baradakis
Tyler MacDonald wrote:

 This can have security implications too, since the end user will
 have to manually keep an eye out for security updates instead of
 just upgrading against security.debian.org.

In theory, you're right. In reality, FreeRADIUS has disclosed a
security problem on 20 March and there's still no official Debian
package available yet :(

So finally if you really care about security you'd better build
packages from sources anyway.

 So you provide a way of debianizing freeradius packages easily, even
 ones that aren't included with debian. Given that, another alternative
 (admittedly with it's own set of problems) would be an official freeradius
 apt repository.

This doesn't solve anything. The problem is that such packages aren't
distributable in binary form. If someone provides a repository, he
becomes an outlaw. (exaggeratedly)

-- 
Nicolas Baradakis

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Re: Allow linking against OpenSSL? (Was Re: [GENERAL] Debian package for freeradius_postgresql module)

2006-04-08 Thread Tyler MacDonald
Nicolas Baradakis [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
  So you provide a way of debianizing freeradius packages easily, even
  ones that aren't included with debian. Given that, another alternative
  (admittedly with it's own set of problems) would be an official freeradius
  apt repository.
 This doesn't solve anything. The problem is that such packages aren't
 distributable in binary form. If someone provides a repository, he
 becomes an outlaw. (exaggeratedly)

*sigh* You're right. And I wouldn't want to suggest an illegal apt
repo either (although I've used ones in the past, like one that provides a
nice .deb full of win32 codec dlls for use with mplayer).

It's rediculous that this is so simple to achieve technically, and
all products involved are being provided for free, yet there's still all
this beaurocratic red tape involved in getting them to play nice together...

- Tyler

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Re: Allow linking against OpenSSL? (Was Re: [GENERAL] Debian package for freeradius_postgresql module)

2006-04-08 Thread Nicolas Baradakis
Tyler MacDonald wrote:

  Personally I really dislike the idea: FreeRADIUS code is released
  under the GPL and there is nothing wrong with that.

   You are right, there is nothing wrong with that. But is there
 anything wrong with the FreeRADIUS code released under the GPL with an
 additional clause allowing linking against OpenSSL, even as a temporary
 measure until either OpenSSL fixes it's license or PostgreSQL supports gnu
 TLS?

Well, I'm not in position to decide for a FreeRADIUS license change or
not, I'm just manifesting my personal opinion. If the other developpers
agree, I won't go against them, of course.

However I believe it's better for FreeRADIUS to keep a plain GPL
license (without any modification) because it simplifies any
legal issue:
  - license violation with our code in another non-GPL software (it has
already happened in the past)
  - adding contribution from an external company (they have questions
concerning the license of the submitted material)

Even if it's based on the GPL, a FreeRADIUS license is more confusing.

 I can't think of anybody or anything that would hurt, and it would have
 the immediate practical benefit of allowing the freeradius-postgresql
 package into the official debian repo.

Altering the FreeRADIUS license will make only *one* package enter in
the Debian repository. I'm not inclined to choose this solution while
other solutions could solve the problem for *all* GPL programs
depending on the PostgreSQL libraries.

-- 
Nicolas Baradakis

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Re: Allow linking against OpenSSL? (Was Re: [GENERAL] Debian package for freeradius_postgresql module)

2006-04-08 Thread Nicolas Baradakis
Jorgen Rosink wrote:

 Beside the postgresql support, this also opens the door to
 peap/eap-tls enabled Debian FreeRadius packages. All those 802.1x
 Debian users currently have to build their own packages for this
 support (although that's really easy with Debian ready upstream
 source, as Nicolas mentioned earlier)

Indeed, these modules are a problem in Debian as well, for legal and
technical reasons too: until version 1.1.1 I didn't manage to build
rlm_eap_peap and rlm_eap_ttls properly.

After the technical problems have been solved, we discussed the legal
issues on the developpement mailing list a few weeks ago, and we
planed to add support for GnuTLS, which is released under the LGPL.

It will take more time to write source code than to edit the license,
but I believe it's a better solution in the long term.

-- 
Nicolas Baradakis

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Re: Allow linking against OpenSSL? (Was Re: [GENERAL] Debian package for freeradius_postgresql module)

2006-04-07 Thread Alan DeKok
Tyler MacDonald [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
 It appears that several other GPL apps have added a special clause
 to their license that allows them to be linked against OpenSSL.
 
   Could this be done for freeradius/freeradius-postgresql as well?

  I have no objection to that.

  Debian should at least be able to distribute their version of source
packages, that will build binaries against the distributed binary packages.

  Alan DeKok.
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Re: Allow linking against OpenSSL? (Was Re: [GENERAL] Debian package for freeradius_postgresql module)

2006-04-07 Thread Tyler MacDonald
Alan DeKok [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
  It appears that several other GPL apps have added a special clause
  to their license that allows them to be linked against OpenSSL.
  
  Could this be done for freeradius/freeradius-postgresql as well?
 
   I have no objection to that.
 
   Debian should at least be able to distribute their version of source
 packages, that will build binaries against the distributed binary packages.
 
   Alan DeKok.

Thanks Alan!!! Can we look forward to this clause in the next
version of FreeRadius? Is the next version due to come out anytime soon?

Thanks,
Tyler


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Allow linking against OpenSSL? (Was Re: [GENERAL] Debian package for freeradius_postgresql module)

2006-04-07 Thread Tyler MacDonald
Greetings FreeRadius people,

This discussion started on the postgresql's pgsql-general mailing
list. The problem here is that the freeradius-postgresql package needs to
link against libpgsql, which means that it may be indirectly linked against
openssl. There is a conflict between OpenSSL's BSD license and the GPL which
means that it's not legal to distribute a copy of GPL code that is linked in
this way. It appears that several other GPL apps have added a special clause
to their license that allows them to be linked against OpenSSL.

Could this be done for freeradius/freeradius-postgresql as well?
This could pave the way towards enhanced freeradius support in Debian,
specifically the addition of freeradius-postgresql to Debian's mainline.

For your reference, here is the start of the thread on the
pgsql-general list that got us to this point:

http://archives.postgresql.org/pgsql-general/2006-04/msg00247.php

Thanks,
Tyler


Tom Lane [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
  I don't think so.  I got curious and looked at what's on my Ubuntu
  system:  Courier IMAP is GPL with an additional clause that explicitly
  allows linking with OpenSSL; Postfix has an Apache-ish license; Exim
  is GPL and also explicitly allows linking with OpenSSL; Cyrus IMAP is
  BSDish; Apache is non-GPL...  I can't think offhand of anything that
  is GPL and links with OpenSSL without an explicit clause permitting
  same.
 Hm.  So can we lobby freeradius to tweak their license similarly?

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