NFS Services and Secure RPC

NFS enables several hosts to share files over the network. Under the NFS service, a server holds the data and resources for several clients. The clients have access to the file systems that the server shares with the clients. Users who are logged in to the client systems can access the file systems by mounting the file systems from the server. To the user on the client system, it appears as if the files are local to the client. One of the most common uses of NFS allows systems to be installed in offices, while storing all user files in a central location. Some features of the NFS service, such as the -nosuid option to the mount command, can be used to prohibit the opening of devices and file systems by unauthorized users.

The NFS service uses Secure RPC to authenticate users who make requests over the network. This process is known as Secure NFS. The Diffie-Hellman authentication mechanism, AUTH_DH, uses DES encryption to ensure authorized access. The AUTH_DH mechanism has also been called AUTH_DES. For more information, see the following:

• To set up and administer Secure NFS, see Administering the Secure NFS System in System Administration Guide: Network Services.

• To set up the NIS+ tables and enter names in the cred table, see System Administration Guide: Naming and Directory Services (NIS+).

• For an outline of the transactions that are involved in RPC authentication, see Implementation of Diffie-Hellman Authentication.