mkxauth

Section: Linux User's Manual (1x)
Updated: 12-Dec-1996
Page Index

NAME

mkxauth - create and merge .Xauthority files

SYNOPSIS

(1) mkxauth [ -q ] [ -u login ] -c [ host [ host ... ] ]

(2) mkxauth [ -q ] [ -u login ] -m login

(3) mkxauth [ -q ] [ -u login ] -f host

(4) mkxauth [ -q ] [ -u login ] -r host [ -l login ]

(5) mkxauth [ -q ] [ -u login ] -z host [ -l login ]

DESCRIPTION

mkxauth aids in the creation and maintenance of X authentication databases (.Xauthority files). Use it to create a ~/.Xauthority file or merge keys from another local or remote .Xauthority file. Remote .Xauthority files can be retrieved via FTP (using ncftp(1)) or via rsh(1). For a slight measure of security, mkxauth does not create any temporary files containing authentication keys (although anyone spying on network packets can see the authentication key data as they pass through the network; for secure network communications, use ssh(1)).

Creating and Adding to a .Xauthority File

To create a .Xauthority file, use mkxauth -c (see (1) above). mkxauth creates a .Xauthority file in the user's home directory (~/), containing a `key' or `magic cookie' for the host it was run on (the one returned by hostname(1)). If a .Xauthority file already exists, the keys are added to it. If keys for that host already exist, they are replaced.

To create or add to a .Xauthority file for another user, use mkxauth -u login -c. mkxauth adds keys to ~login/.Xauthority (only the root user is allowed to do this).

To add a key for more than one host, specify all hosts on the command line: mkxauth -c daffy porky bugs. All hosts specified on the same command line receive the same key. To create different keys for multiple hosts, run mkxauth for each host in succession:

: mkxauth -c daffy
: mkxauth -c porky
: mkxauth -c bugs

Merging Keys from Local .Xauthority Files

To merge keys from another local user's .Xauthority file, use mkxauth -m login (see (2) above). mkxauth adds the keys in ~login/.Xauthority to ~/.Xauthority, replacing any keys which already exist. ~login/.Xauthority must be readable by the user running mkxauth (normally only the root user can read other people's .Xauthority files).

Merging Keys via FTP

To merge keys from a remote .Xauthority file via FTP, use mkxauth -f host (see (3) above). mkxauth retrieves the remote .Xauthority from host using ncftp(1) and adds those keys to ~/.Xauthority, replacing any keys which already exist. [NOTE: you must have a ~/.netrc file set up to automatically log you into host, otherwise the FTP login attempt will fail.]

Merging Keys via rsh(1)

To merge keys from remote .Xauthority file via rsh(1), use mkxauth -r host (see (4) above). mkxauth retrieves the remote .Xauthority from host using rsh(1) and adds those keys to ~/.Xauthority, replacing any keys which already exist. To login as a different user, use -l login. [NOTE: you must have a .rhosts file set up properly for this to work, otherwise the remote login attempt will fail].

Merging Keys via rsh(1) and gzip(1)

If your remote .Xauthority file is large, or to make it slightly less obvious that you're transferring authentication keys over the network, mkxauth can gzip(1) your .Xauthority file before retrieving it via rsh(1). To do this, use mkxauth -z host (see (5) above). mkxauth retrieves the remote .Xauthority from host using rsh(1) and adds those keys to ~/.Xauthority, replacing any keys which already exist. To login as a different user, use -l login. [NOTE: you must have a .rhosts file set up properly for this to work, otherwise the remote login attempt will fail].

Options

To make mkxauth operate quietly, use the -q option.

To add to ~login/.Xauthority, use the -u login option.

To use login for the remote login in mkxauth -f, mkxauth -r, and mkxauth -z, use the -l login option.

Getting Help

To get quick help about mkxauth, use mkxauth --help.

FILES

~/.Xauthority
~/.netrc
~/.rhosts

COMMENTS

mkxauth

is mostly useful for maintaining .Xauthority files in an environment which uses startx(1x). xdm(1x) uses its own method of generating .Xauthority files. However, mkxauth is still useful for transferring .Xauthority information to remote login sessions so that the user can display remote X clients on the local host without too much trouble.

Note, however, that using rsh(1) is inherently insecure, and sites concerned about security should use ssh(1) instead (see http://www.cs.hut.fi/ssh/ for more information).

BUGS

Does not respect the XAUTHORITY environment variable.

AUTHOR

Conceived and written by Jim Knoble <jmknoble@redhat.com>. Copyright 1996 by Jim Knoble and Red Hat Software. Distributed under the GNU GPL (General Public License); see ftp://prep.ai.mit.edu/pub/gnu/COPYING for more information.