XAUTH(1) X11 5.4R3.00 XAUTH(1)
NAME
xauth - X authority file utility
SYNOPSIS
xauth [ -f authfile ] [ -vqib ] [ command arg ... ]
DESCRIPTION
The xauth program is used to edit and display the authorization
information used in connecting to the X server. This program is
usually used to extract authorization records from one machine and
merge them in on another (as is the case when using remote logins or
granting access to other users). Commands (described below) may be
entered interactively, on the xauth command line, or in scripts.
Note that this program does not contact the X server.
OPTIONS
The following options may be used with xauth. They may be given
individually (e.g., -q -i) or may combined (e.g., -qi).
-f authfile
This option specifies the name of the authority file to use.
By default, xauth will use the file specified by the
XAUTHORITY environment variable or .Xauthority in the user's
home directory.
-q This option indicates that xauth should operate quietly and
not print unsolicited status messages. This is the default
if an xauth command is is given on the command line or if the
standard output is not directed to a terminal.
-v This option indicates that xauth should operate verbosely and
print status messages indicating the results of various
operations (e.g., how many records have been read in or
written out). This is the default if xauth is reading
commands from its standard input and its standard output is
directed to a terminal.
-i This option indicates that xauth should ignore any authority
file locks. Normally, xauth will refuse to read or edit any
authority files that have been locked by other programs
(usually xdm or another xauth).
-b This option indicates that xauth should attempt to break any
authority file locks before proceeding. Use this option only
to clean up stale locks.
COMMANDS
The following commands may be used to manipulate authority files:
add displayname protocolname hexkey
An authorization entry for the indicated display using the
given protocol and key data is added to the authorization
file. The data is specified as an even-lengthed string of
hexadecimal digits, each pair representing one octet. The
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first digit of each pair gives the most significant 4 bits of
the octet, and the second digit of the pair gives the least
significant 4 bits. For example, a 32 character hexkey would
represent a 128-bit value. A protocol name consisting of
just a single period is treated as an abbreviation for MIT-
MAGIC-COOKIE-1.
[n]extract filename displayname...
Authorization entries for each of the specified displays are
written to the indicated file. If the nextract command is
used, the entries are written in a numeric format suitable
for non-binary transmission (such as secure electronic mail).
The extracted entries can be read back in using the merge and
nmerge commands. If the filename consists of just a single
dash, the entries will be written to the standard output.
[n]list [displayname...]
Authorization entries for each of the specified displays (or
all if no displays are named) are printed on the standard
output. If the nlist command is used, entries will be shown
in the numeric format used by the nextract command;
otherwise, they are shown in a textual format. Key data is
always displayed in the hexadecimal format given in the
description of the add command.
[n]merge [filename...]
Authorization entries are read from the specified files and
are merged into the authorization database, superseding any
matching existing entries. If the nmerge command is used, the
numeric format given in the description of the extract
command is used. If a filename consists of just a single
dash, the standard input will be read if it hasn't been read
before.
remove displayname...
Authorization entries matching the specified displays are
removed from the authority file.
source filename
The specified file is treated as a script containing xauth
commands to execute. Blank lines and lines beginning with a
sharp sign (#) are ignored. A single dash may be used to
indicate the standard input, if it hasn't already been read.
info Information describing the authorization file, whether or not
any changes have been made, and from where xauth commands are
being read is printed on the standard output.
exit If any modifications have been made, the authority file is
written out (if allowed), and the program exits. An end of
file is treated as an implicit exit command.
quit The program exits, ignoring any modifications. This may also
be accomplished by pressing the interrupt character.
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XAUTH(1) X11 5.4R3.00 XAUTH(1)
help [string]
A description of all commands that begin with the given
string (or all commands if no string is given) is printed on
the standard output.
? A short list of the valid commands is printed on the standard
output.
DISPLAY NAMES
Display names for the add, [n]extract, [n]list, [n]merge, and remove
commands use the same format as the DISPLAY environment variable and
the common -display command line argument. Display-specific
information (such as the screen number) is unnecessary and will be
ignored. Same-machine connections (such as local-host sockets,
shared memory, and the Internet Protocol hostname localhost) are
referred to as hostname/unix:displaynumber so that local entries for
different machines may be stored in one authority file.
EXAMPLE
The most common use for xauth is to extract the entry for the current
display, copy it to another machine, and merge it into the user's
authority file on the remote machine:
% xauth extract - $DISPLAY | rsh otherhost xauth merge -
ENVIRONMENT
This xauth program uses the following environment variables:
XAUTHORITY
to get the name of the authority file to use if the -f option
isn't used.
HOME to get the user's home directory if XAUTHORITY isn't defined.
FILES
$HOME/.Xauthority
default authority file if XAUTHORITY isn't defined.
BUGS
Users that have unsecure networks should take care to use encrypted
file transfer mechanisms to copy authorization entries between
machines. Similarly, the MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 protocol is not very
useful in unsecure environments. Sites that are interested in
additional security may need to use encrypted authorization
mechanisms such as Kerberos.
Spaces are currently not allowed in the protocol name. Quoting could
be added for the truly perverse.
COPYRIGHT
Copyright 1989, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
See X(1) for a full statement of rights and permissions.
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XAUTH(1) X11 5.4R3.00 XAUTH(1)
AUTHOR
Jim Fulton, MIT X Consortium
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