Bash: executing commands from within a chroot and switch user

Question

Im writing a script that should do this...

chroot /chroot_dir/ su -
./startup.sh (This should run within the su environment)

I have tried this approach:

chroot /chroot_dir /bin/bash -c " su -; ./startup.sh"

This tries to execute the user switching and the script as a string command to bash...however what it does, is it "stops" after "su -" and doesnt execute the script. However, once I leave the "su -" environment, it does try to run startup.sh but of course, it cant find it.

Basically I need to nest the "startup.sh" to be run inside the "su -" environment...

score 42 · Accepted Answer · answered Nov 16 '11 at 20:08

42

try

chroot /chroot_dir /bin/bash -c "su - -c ./startup.sh"

answered Nov 16 '11 at 20:08

Michael Krelin - hacker

138,757
24
193
173

thanks so much, I dont know how I didnt see this in the man page! – dgrandes Nov 17 '11 at 15:45

score 28 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 27 '13 at 21:33

28

chroot /chroot_dir /bin/bash -x <<'EOF'
su -
./startup.sh
EOF

answered Mar 27 '13 at 21:33

garuse

381
3
2

Nice syntax, this one. – Smar Jul 21 '20 at 10:54

score 7 · Answer 3 · answered Aug 22 '17 at 14:11

7

basic option:

cat << EOF | chroot /chroot_dir 
touch aaaaa
touch bbbbb
EOF

option with different shell (eg. if using bash but in chrooted enviroment it doesn't exists)

cat << EOF | chroot /chroot_dir /bin/sh
touch aaaaa
touch bbbbb
EOF

answered Aug 22 '17 at 14:11

Marek Lisiecki

498
6
10

Bash: executing commands from within a chroot and switch user

3 Answers3