Sending SSH or Telnet command via a php page?

[exomic]

Hi, I'm running a Minecraft server and I would like to have a admin access via a PHP so I could restart stop the server etc. I have the possibility to have enable a telnet access to the server or use the SSH access.

The problem is that the telnet access will be diasabled after a server crash because it's a plugin that create that. So I would prefer to send ssh command via the php page.

What I need to send is pretty simple. I need to send as user minecraft the command ".stop" in a screen session called "mc". I tried that via php but I realised that the page (www-data) was unable to change user to minecraft so how can I do this? I'm not a expert in php neither so if you would give me some example that could be nice!

Thanks guys!

[atreyu]

I assume you have root access to the minecraft server...how about creating a sudo entry for the apache user to be permitted to run screen as the minecraft user?

[exomic]

I tried sudo minecraft but seem that www-data is not allowed to do that command so how can I allow it ? thanks

[atreyu]

You have to edit the sudoers file, usually /etc/sudoers. I assume on Debian you'd do something like:

sudo visudo

to open the file as root (somebody correct me if i'm wrong). then you'd add an entry like:

apache ALL = (minecraft) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/screen

that assumes that apache is the name of the user running your webserver and minecraft is the name of your user running the minecraft server.

then in your CGI page, you'd call it like:

sudo -u minecraft /usr/bin/screen