NAME

rhosts − list of trusted hosts and users

DESCRIPTION

Each user may have a .rhosts file in his home directory.  This file contains a list of users on other hosts in the network that are trusted in the following sense:  when making requests to access the user’s system with rcp(1C), rlogin(1C), or rsh(1C), they are allowed to assume the user’s identity without specifying a password. In other words, the remote user has exactly the same access privileges on the local system that the owner of the .rhosts file does and this access is granted without any attempt to verify the remote user’s identity by requiring him to enter a password.  The incoming request includes the user name that should be used on the local system.  The .rhosts file owned by that local user acts as a logical extension to the hosts.equiv(4) file when deciding whether to grant permission for the incoming rcp, rlogin, or rsh request. 

The .rhosts file has the same format as the hosts.equiv(4) file.

NOTES

The owner of the .rhosts file must be the user in whose home directory it resides.  The contents of the file will be disregarded if it is owned by another user. 

Special care should be taken in deciding the contents of the file /.rhosts.  Any host or user added to this file has the ability to become the superuser on the local system without entering the password.  Note that /.rhosts are not required. 

FILES

~/.rhosts

SEE ALSO

rcp(1C), rlogin(1C), rsh(1C), hosts.equiv(4)

Version 3.6  —  December 20, 1987