UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

using kerberos to access remote server. first I execute

Code:

kshell

to create subshell and then

Code:

kinit username@domain

in that subshell. After that it prompts to enter password.

Since I need to do this over and over, I am trying creating alias. I tried

Code:

kshell; kinit username@domain

. Did not work, comes back to parent shell and if I type exit, it prompts for password.

Will appreciate any suggestions to create a smart alias in bashrc.

You're trying to create an alias that types in your password for you?

Authentication systems read direct from the terminal, that's not going to work.

If you just want to launch the kinit command using kshell, omit the semicolon:

Code:

alias kk='kshell kinit username@domain'

Better yet with full path, like

Code:

/bin/kshell kinit username@domain

Or you can wrap it in a script:

Code:

#!/bin/kshell
kinit username@domain

make it executable and copy it somewhere in your $PATH/

I am not trying to enter password through alias, just trying to combine kshell and kinit commands.
Thanks for reply mirni, your proposed solution did not work for me. It gives no error but returns to parent shell and does not ask for password.

Which solution? mirni gave several.

The problem is, you are asking for kshell to read from two different things -- want it to run a noninteractive shell to do something in, then suddenly become interactive and accept input from a user.

Putting a semicolon afterwards doesn't tell it to feed that command into kshell. It tells it to feed it into your shell.

Depending on how kshell works, perhaps something like this:

Code:

kshell kinit username@domain ';' exec /bin/sh

should execute the command, then run an interactive shell after that... The quotes around the semicolon so that kshell gets fed the whole thing instead of your local shell breaking it into two statements.

corona and mirni, both of yours' suggestions did not work so far

The usual process:

Code:

$ kshell
$ kinit username@domain
Password for username@domain:

Code:

$ kshell kinit username@domain
$

$ kshell kinit username@domain ';' exec /bin/sh
$

writing a script as suggested by mirni also did not work. I am trying to create the alias as I have to do this procedure several times each day.

Thanks

In what way did they "not work"? More information, please.

Also please tell me more about this 'kshell'. Whether what you want is even possible or not depends on how it works, and I can't seem to find any consistent information on it.

Perhaps a script like this:

Code:

#!/bin/kshell
kinit username@domain
exec /bin/sh