RLOGIND(8C)

NAME
rlogind, in.rlogind - remote login server

SYNOPSIS
/usr/etc/in.rlogind host.port

DESCRIPTION
rlogind is the server for the rlogin(1C) program. The server provides a remote login facility with authentication based on privileged port numbers.

rlogind is invoked by inetd(8C) when a remote login connection is established, and executes the following protocol:

•   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 hex and port in decimal.

•   The server checks the client's source address. If the address is associated with a host for which no corresponding entry exists in the host name data base (see hosts(5)), the server aborts the connection.

Once the source port and address have been checked, rlogind allocates a pseudo-terminal (see pty(4)), 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(8C), 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 program. In normal operation, the packet protocol described in pty(4) is invoked to provide ^S/^Q type facilities and propagate interrupt signals to the remote programs. The login process propagates the client terminal's baud rate and terminal type, as found in the environment variable, TERM; see environ(5V).

SEE ALSO
inetd(8C)

DIAGNOSTICS
All diagnostic messages are returned on the connection associated 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.

BUGS
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.