rlogind(1M) SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION COMMANDS rlogind(1M)
NAME
rlogind - remote login server
SYNOPSIS
in.rlogind host.port
DESCRIPTION
rlogind is the server for the rlogin(1) program. The server
provides a remote login facility with authentication based
on privileged port numbers.
rlogind is invoked by inetd(1M) when a remote login connec-
tion is established, and executes the following protocol:
1) The server checks the client's source port. If the
port is not in the range 0-1023, the server aborts the
connection. The client's address and port number are
passed as arguments to rlogind by inetd in the form
host.port with host in hexadecimal and port in decimal.
2) The server checks the client's source address. If an
entry for the client exists is both /etc/hosts and
/etc/hosts.equiv, a user logging in from the client is
not prompted for a password. If the address is associ-
ated with a host for which no corresponding entry
exists in /etc/hosts, the user is prompted for a pass-
word, regardless of whether or not an entry for the
client is present in /etc/hosts.equiv [see hosts(4) and
hosts.equiv(4)].
Once the source port and address have been checked, rlogind
allocates a pseudo-terminal and manipulates file descriptors
so that the slave half of the pseudo-terminal becomes the
stdin, stdout, and stderr for a login process. The login
process is an instance of the login(1) program, invoked with
the -r option. The login process then proceeds with the
authentication process as described in rshd(1M), but if
automatic authentication fails, it reprompts the user to
login as one finds on a standard terminal line.
The parent of the login process manipulates the master side
of the pseudo-terminal, operating as an intermediary between
the login process and the client instance of the rlogin pro-
gram. In normal operation, a packet protocol is invoked to
provide Ctrl-S / Ctrl-Q type facilities and propagate inter-
rupt signals to the remote programs. The login process pro-
pagates the client terminal's baud rate and terminal type,
as found in the environment variable, TERM; see environ(4).
SEE ALSO
inetd(1M), hosts(4), hosts.equiv(4).
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rlogind(1M) SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION COMMANDS rlogind(1M)
DIAGNOSTICS
All diagnostic messages are returned on the connection asso-
ciated with the stderr, after which any network connections
are closed. An error is indicated by a leading byte with a
value of 1.
Hostname for your address unknown.
No entry in the host name database existed for the
client's machine.
Try again.
A fork by the server failed.
/usr/bin/sh: ...
The user's login shell could not be started.
NOTES
The authentication procedure used here assumes the integrity
of each client machine and the connecting medium. This is
insecure, but is useful in an ``open'' environment.
A facility to allow all data exchanges to be encrypted
should be present.
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