[NTLUG:Discuss] Can Linux help me limit my kids' time on the computer?

[Leroy Tennison]

Jay Urish wrote:
> I think I opened my mouth too fast. I was thinking active directory 
> domain stuff...
>
> I you can't do what I was thinking you could on a stand alone machine.
>
>
> Lance Simmons wrote:
>   
>> On 12/23/06, Jay Urish <j at unixwolf.net> wrote:
>>     
>>> get a netgear FVS-328 firewall.. That will block internet access..
>>>       
>> I've already got a firewall that blocks internet access for certain
>> machines during certain hours.
>>
>>     
>>> Actuall login time can be controlled with a windows policy.
>>>       
>> What is a windows policy?
>>     
>
>   
I looked at the pam modules I documented some time back and didn't see 
anything promising.  What you might be able to do is provide a custom 
shell for the user account.  It would have to run a script which 
calculated the time period based on the current date/time, examined the 
machine's logs (assuming the login and exit times for each user are 
being logged) calculating the sum total time used and did an automatic 
exit if the time had been exceeded.  I've never tried this so you're on 
your own to test.  It also doesn't solve the problem of logging on five 
minutes prior to using up the alloted amount of time and remaining 
logged on forever.  The latter would require a cron job of sufficient 
frequency to approximate the desired time limit.  Hopefully the kid: 
doesn't have root access or knows about the rescue CD (kiss the logs 
good bye).