System File Access

The PostScript language provides file operations that allow users to access system devices such as disk files. This presents a serious security problem. In the Solaris environment, you cannot--by default--use PostScript file operators to open or otherwise access a system file.

For applications, the client rather than the server should perform necessary file operations. Thus, the client does not need all the same access privileges that the server needs. If you want PostScript file operators to access system files, start the server with the -dpsfileops option (see the Xsun(1) man page). If you attempt to access system files without specifying -dpsfileops, you will get a PostScript undefinedfilename error. This issue is particularly important in the CDE or xdm environment, as the server process is owned by a super-user.