GSS_EXPORT_SEC_CONTEXT(3) Programmer's Manual GSS_EXPORT_SEC_CONTEXT(3)
NAME
gss_export_sec_context -- Transfer a security context to another process
SYNOPSIS
#include <gssapi/gssapi.h>
OM_uint32
gss_export_sec_context(OM_uint32 *minor_status, gss_ctx_id_t *context_handle, gss_buffer_t interprocess_token);
DESCRIPTION
Provided to support the sharing of work between multiple processes. This routine will typically be used by the context-acceptor, in an
application where a single process receives incoming connection requests and accepts security contexts over them, then passes the established
context to one or more other processes for message exchange. gss_export_sec_context() deactivates the security context for the calling
process and creates an interprocess token which, when passed to gss_import_sec_context() in another process, will re-activate the context in
the second process. Only a single instantiation of a given context may be active at any one time; a subsequent attempt by a context exporter
to access the exported security context will fail.
The implementation may constrain the set of processes by which the interprocess token may be imported, either as a function of local security
policy, or as a result of implementation decisions. For example, some implementations may constrain contexts to be passed only between pro-
cesses that run under the same account, or which are part of the same process group.
The interprocess token may contain security-sensitive information (for example cryptographic keys). While mechanisms are encouraged to
either avoid placing such sensitive information within interprocess tokens, or to encrypt the token before returning it to the application,
in a typical object-library GSS-API implementation this may not be possible. Thus the application must take care to protect the interprocess
token, and ensure that any process to which the token is transferred is trustworthy.
If creation of the interprocess token is successful, the implementation shall deallocate all process-wide resources associated with the secu-
rity context, and set the context_handle to GSS_C_NO_CONTEXT. In the event of an error that makes it impossible to complete the export of
the security context, the implementation must not return an interprocess token, and should strive to leave the security context referenced by
the context_handle parameter untouched. If this is impossible, it is permissible for the implementation to delete the security context, pro-
viding it also sets the context_handle parameter to GSS_C_NO_CONTEXT.
PARAMETERS
minor_status Mechanism specific status code.
context_handle Context handle identifying the context to transfer.
interprocess_token Token to be transferred to target process. Storage associated with this token must be freed by the application after use
with a call to gss_release_buffer().
RETURN VALUES
GSS_S_COMPLETE Successful completion
GSS_S_CONTEXT_EXPIRED The context has expired
GSS_S_NO_CONTEXT The context was invalid
GSS_S_UNAVAILABLE The operation is not supported
SEE ALSO
gss_import_sec_context(3), gss_release_buffer(3)
STANDARDS
RFC 2743 Generic Security Service Application Program Interface Version 2, Update 1
RFC 2744 Generic Security Service API Version 2 : C-bindings
HISTORY
The gss_export_sec_context function first appeared in FreeBSD 7.0.
AUTHORS
John Wray, Iris Associates
COPYRIGHT
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