[comp.sys.concurrent] RTU 5.0 equivalent host mechanism FUBAR

hugh@slee01.srl.ford.com (Hugh Fader) (12/07/90)

I have the privilege of configuring a new Concurrent 5450 running RTU
5.0 and have run into trouble with the network software. Apparently
Concurrent has decided for this new release that the method for
validating equivalent hosts used in the past is no longer secure
enough. Their customer support people inform me that the format of the
.rhosts, and hosts.equiv files has changed. The files now require both
host and username, eg.:

hostname	username

According to the online documentatation, either username or hostname
may now be replaced by a wildcard asterisk. In practice, all I have
been able to make work is:

*	username

This implies that a user with username from any host may log into
this account without a password -- not very secure. 

Also, the support people *think* (and I can confirm) that the
equivalence mechanism no longer works for superuser. Remote
dumps and that sort of thing can no longer be done as root.

The only workaround I have found is to copy an older version
of rloginserver over the new version. Anyone else have a better
solution?

Thanks in advance.

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Stan Barber, Moderator

dale@lamont.ldgo.columbia.edu (dale chayes) (12/26/90)

We still have a few machines running RTU 5.0 and are sucessfully 
using host name only entries in /etc/net/hosts.equiv.  In my
recollection, we quit using "*" when we made our Internet connection
which was about the time of RTU 3.1 or so.

We have not yet felt the need to use both hostnames and usernames,
but I suspect that we will get there eventually....

Dale
=============
-- 
Dale Chayes Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory of Columbia University
Route 9W, Palisades, N.Y.  10964	dale@lamont.ldgo.columbia.edu
voice:	(914) 359-2900 extension 434	fax: (914) 359-6817


Articles to: concurrent@soma.bcm.tmc.edu or uunet!soma.bcm.tmc.edu!concurrent
Administrative stuff: concurrent-request@soma.bcm.tmc.edu
Stan Barber, Moderator