Network User-ids

This topic describes how network user-ids can improve system security. It also describes the RUFMUP utility, which allows you to change your network passwords.

Introduction

When you connect to a remote environment, you need a remote user-id. You can provide this user-id and the necessary password when you connect, but this is rather insecure, because the password is displayed on the screen.

When you connect to a remote environment from UNIX, as an alternative to entering the user-id and password, you can ask your system administrator to set up one or more network user-ids for you. These are stored in the USERS-FILE on the local UNIX system and consist of a host name and an associated user-id and password. Whenever you connect to a host for which you have network user-id, if you do not specify a user-id and password, the required user-id and password will be taken from the USERS-FILE.

A typical USERS-FILE entry is shown below:

userid -> alison

  1. Destination system -> aldenham

     Destination userid -> piers

  2. Destination system -> rpq6282

     Destination userid -> piers

  3. Destination system -> mdimage

     Destination userid -> time1

This shows that the local user alison can connect to three remote systems without entering a user-id and password. On the systems aldenham and rpq6282, she uses the user-id piers, while on the system mdimage, she uses the user-id time1. Note that for security reasons, the associated passwords are not shown.

The USERS-FILE can only be accessed by your system administrator and you will therefore need to ask for the network user-ids that you need to be set up for you. You can, however, change your network passwords if required. This will be necessary if the password on the remote system is changed.

For details of how to set up network user-ids refer to Network Security.