A105@UWOCC1.BITNET (Brent Sterner) (09/12/86)
This may sound a bit silly, but we have some applications for our VAX that could use an automatic logon facility. For example, a secure line to our phone system switchboard office might allow our operators to just turn on their terminal, type a <return> or two, and be automatically logged on their account. (From there the LOGIN.COM for the account could start up the database program they require.) Is there such a facility in VMS? TOPS-10 provides the base for this throught INITIA, which runs on every line as connections occur. Any suggestions? Brent Sterner Computing & Communications Services Natural Sciences Building The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B7 Telephone (519)661-2151 x6036 Network <A105@UWOCC1.BITNET>
Tli@USC-ECLC.ARPA (Tony Li) (09/14/86)
VMS now provides an automatic login facility (starting with V4). See sys$manager:alfmaint.com... ;-)
kfield@J.BBN.COM (Ken Field) (09/15/86)
This may sound a bit silly, but we have some applications for our
VAX that could use an automatic logon facility. For example, a secure
line to our phone system switchboard office might allow our operators
to just turn on their terminal, type a <return> or two, and be
automatically logged on their account. (From there the LOGIN.COM for
the account could start up the database program they require.)
Is there such a facility in VMS? TOPS-10 provides the base for this
throught INITIA, which runs on every line as connections occur. Any
suggestions?
I'm not sure that it exists on regular VMS, but MicroVMS 4.2
includes an Automatic Login File (ALF) that lists physical terminal
line names and associated user names that are automatically logged in
when the terminal line is activated. There is a .com file called
ALFMAINT that is used to maintain this file.
-Ken Fieldcetron@UTAH-CS.ARPA (Edward J Cetron) (09/15/86)
In article <8609140038.AA11342@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> A105@UWOCC1.BITNET (Brent Sterner) writes: > > This may sound a bit silly, but we have some applications for our >VAX that could use an automatic logon facility. For example, a secure >line to our phone system switchboard office might allow our operators >to just turn on their terminal, type a <return> or two, and be >automatically logged on their account. (From there the LOGIN.COM for >the account could start up the database program they require.) I am not sure about VMS proper (I don't have any easy to check on) but my MicroVMS machines have a file call the automatic login file... the interface is through a command file sys$manager:alfmaint and it does exactly what you want...the documentation starts on page 2-7 of the MicroVMS 4.4 Users Manual Part I. -ed
McGuire_Ed@GRINNELL.MAILNET (09/15/86)
>Date: Fri, 12 Sep 1986 14:10 EDT >From: Brent Sterner <A105%UWOCC1.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU> >Subject: VMS Automatic Terminal Login >To: INFO-VAX-SUBMIT <info-vax@sri-KL.ARPA> > > This may sound a bit silly, but we have some applications for our >VAX that could use an automatic logon facility. For example, a secure >line to our phone system switchboard office might allow our operators >to just turn on their terminal, type a <return> or two, and be >automatically logged on their account. (From there the LOGIN.COM for >automatically logged on their account. (From there the LOGIN.COM for >the account could start up the database program they require.) > Is there such a facility in VMS? TOPS-10 provides the base for this >throught INITIA, which runs on every line as connections occur. Any >suggestions? There is an auto logon facility in VMS. The program SYS$MANAGER:ALFMAINT.COM maintains a file called SYS$SYSTEM:SYSALF.DAT, which contains terminal ids and associated usernames. LOGINOUT looks at SYSALF and does the dirty work. I do not know where (or whether) it is documented.
JMS@ARIZMIS.BITNET (Joel Headroom) (09/18/86)
Yes, VMS has had this since Version 2.0 of VMS. In fact, it's now supported in such a way that MicroVAX systems are shipped so that all terminals auto login to USER. The key is a file in sys$system: called sysalf.dat. There's a command procedure, either in SYS$MANAGER or SYS$EXAMPLES that maintains this file as of V4.x of VMS. Look for *ALF* to find it. The key to the ALF file is that it is an ISAM file which contains TTY/username pairs. When LOGINOUT runs, if it finds the TTY in the ALF file, it automagically logs that person into that username. +-------------------------------+ | Joel M Snyder | BITNET: jms@arizmis.BITNET | Univ of Arizona Dep't of MIS | ArizoNET: MRSVAX::JMS | Tucson, Arizona 85721 | Pseudo-PhoneNET: (602) 621-2748 +-------------------------------+ (std. disclaimer in re: nobody taking anything I say seriously) --*> "Wherever you go ... there you are." -- Buckaroo Bonzai <*--
SYSTEM@CRNLNS.BITNET (09/18/86)
Brent, Your application isn't silly at all. We do the same thing for our Stock-Room Signout terminals: you can't expect someone "wandering in off the street" to understand how to login to the right account in order to start up the appropriate application program after the system crashed in the middle of the night. The documentation for the auto-login facility is in the _Guide_to_VAX/VMS_System_Security_ manual (AA-Y510A-TE), chapter 5.2.9, "Using the Automatic Login Facility", ppg 5-43, et seq. (It's one of the small volumes, not one of the standard size reference manuals.) Selden E. Ball, Jr. Cornell University NYNEX: (607) 255-0688 Laboratory of Nuclear Studies BITNET: SYSTEM@CRNLNS Wilson Synchrotron Lab ARPA: SYSTEM%CRNLNS.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU Judd Falls & Dryden Road PHYSnet/HEPnet/SPAN: Ithaca, NY 14853 LNS61::SYSTEM = 44283::SYSTEM (node 43.251)
wilkinsn@SPCA.BBN.COM (Ronald Wilkinson) (09/19/86)
The automatic terminal login facility controlled by SYS$SYSTEM:SYSALF.DAT has been around at least since VMS version 3. The only place I ever saw it documented was in a DSM (Digital Standard MUMPS) Programmer's Guide. MUMPS is a relatively obscure language used mostly for medical applications. Its traditional environment (hospital information systems) is one in which auto-logins are extremely useful. I believe that is why VMS automatic logins were documented in the MUMPS programmer's guide. I do not know why it was not (and is still not?) documented in the VMS system manager's guide. Ronald Wilkinson Software Development BBN Software Products Corp. 10 Fawcett Street Cambridge, MA 02238 ARPA: wilkinsn.spca.bbn.com Phone: (617) 497-8105
LEICHTER-JERRY@YALE.ARPA (09/21/86)
This may sound a bit silly, but we have some applications for our
VAX that could use an automatic logon facility. For example, a secure
line to our phone system switchboard office might allow our operators
to just turn on their terminal, type a <return> or two, and be
automatically logged on their account. (From there the LOGIN.COM for
the account could start up the database program they require.)
Is there such a facility in VMS? TOPS-10 provides the base for this
throught INITIA, which runs on every line as connections occur. Any
suggestions?
VMS has such a facility built in. Take a look at SYS$MANAGER:ALFMAINT.COM.
-- Jerry
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