mkxauth(1x) Linux User's Manual mkxauth(1x)
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 spy-
ing 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 (~/), con-
taining 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/.Xauthor-
ity 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 net-
work, 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 gener-
ating .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).
SEE ALSO
X(1x), Xsecurity(1x), gzip(1), mcookie(1), md5sum(1), ncftp(1), rsh(1), startx(1x), xauth(1x), xdm(1x)
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.
Red Hat Software 12-Dec-1996 mkxauth(1x)