[comp.unix.questions] .rhosts

tony@hacgate.UUCP (Tony Reeves) (03/20/91)

Need help with a problem. We have a SCO Unix system that is located 
remote from our main system, a Sequent S81 running Dynix. We do some
file transfers remotely by SCO (lets call the machine Fred and the S81 
mary) to the S81. What we do now is use a cpio command and the sco rcmd
command. Here is the problem. My management wants me to stop using .rhosts
as the permission for  this transfer. fred's transfer is from the root 
account. If I remove the .rhosts from mary, then fred gets permmission
denied. Useing hosts.equiv will not work since fred's root account cannot 
be there. Or can it? what other method can rcmd be used to do this 
cpio transfer?

weimer@garden.kodak.COM (Gary Weimer (588-0953)) (03/21/91)

In article <13943@hacgate.UUCP> you write:
...
|> Here is the problem. My management wants me to stop using .rhosts
|> as the permission for  this transfer. fred's transfer is from the root 
|> account. If I remove the .rhosts from mary, then fred gets permmission
|> denied. Useing hosts.equiv will not work since fred's root account cannot 
|> be there. Or can it? what other method can rcmd be used to do this 
|> cpio transfer?

Using the hosts.equiv creates a bigger security problem than the .rhosts
file (I assume this is why you are suppose to stop using it.)

Could you do an su <some_user> on fred to do the transfer and create a
.rhosts for <some_user>? (Management may not consider this an
improvement.)

weimer@ssd.kodak.com ( Gary Weimer )