UNIX Authentication on the Client Side

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To use UNIX authentication, the programmer first creates the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) client handle and then sets the authentication parameter.

The RPC client handle is created as follows:


clnt = clntudp_create (address, prognum, versnum, wait, sockp)

The UNIX authentication parameter is set as follows:


clnt->cl_auth = authunix_create_default();

Each remote procedure call associated with the client (clnt) then carries the following UNIX-style authentication credentials structure:


/*
 * UNIX style credentials.
 */
struct authunix_parms {
    u_long  aup_time;       /*  credentials creation time   */
    char    *aup_machname;  /*  host name where client is   */
    int     aup_uid;        /*  client's UNIX effective uid */
    int     aup_gid;        /*  client's current group id   */
    u_int   aup_len;        /*  element length of aup_gids  */
    int     *aup_gids;      /*  array of groups user is in  */
};

The authunix_create_default subroutine sets these fields by invoking the appropriate subroutines. The UNIX-style authentication is valid until destroyed with the following routine:


auth_destroy(clnt->cl_auth);