Using OpenAFSThis chapter explains how to perform four basic AFS tasks: logging in and authenticating with AFS, ending an AFS session,
accessing the AFS filespace, and changing your password.Logging in and Authenticating with AFSTo access the AFS filespace as an authenticated user, you must both log into an AFS client machine's local (UNIX) file
system and authenticate with AFS. When you log in, you establish your local system identity. When you authenticate, you prove
your identity to AFS and obtain a token, which your Cache Manager uses to prove your authenticated status to the AFS server
processes it contacts on your behalf. Users who are not authenticated (who do not have a token) have limited access to AFS
directories and files.Logging Inlogging inlogin utilitycommandsloginOn machines that use an AFS-modified login utility, you log in and authenticate in one step. On machines that do not use
an AFS-modified login utility, you log in and authenticate in separate steps. To determine which type of login utility your
machine uses, you can check for AFS tokens after logging in, or ask your system administrator, who can also tell you about any
differences between your login procedure and the two methods described here.To Log In Using an AFS-modified Login UtilityProvide your username at the login: prompt that appears when you establish a new
connection to a machine. Then provide your password at the Password: prompt as shown in the
following example. (Your password does not echo visibly on the screen.)
login: username
Password: passwordIf you are not sure which type of login utility is running on your machine, it is best to issue the tokens command to check if you are authenticated; for instructions, see To
Display Your Tokens. If you do not have tokens, issue the klog command as described in
To Authenticate with AFS.To Log In Using a Two-Step Login ProcedureIf your machine does not use an AFS-modified login utility, you must perform a two-step procedure:
Log in to your client machine's local file system by providing a user name and password at the login program's prompts.Issue the klog command to authenticate with AFS. Include the command's -setpag argument to associate your token with a special identification number called a
PAG (for process authentication group). For a description of PAGs, see Protecting Your Tokens with a PAG.
% klog -setpag
Password: your_AFS_passwordIf your machine uses a two-step login procedure, you can choose to use different passwords for logging in and
authenticating. It is simplest to use the same one for both, though. Talk with your system administrator.Authenticating with AFSTo work most effectively in the AFS filespace, you must authenticate with AFS. When you do, your Cache Manager is given
a token as proof of your authenticated status. It uses your token when requesting services from AFS servers, which accept the
token as proof of your authenticated status. If you do not have a token, AFS servers consider you to be the anonymous user and your access to AFS filespace is limited: you have only the ACL permissions granted
to the system:anyuser group. authenticationtokens as prooftokensas proof of authenticationCache Managertokens, use ofYou can obtain new tokens (reauthenticate) at any time, even after using an AFS-modified login utility, which logs you
in and authenticates you in one step. Issue the klog command as described in To Authenticate with AFS.Protecting Your Tokens with a PAGTo make your access to AFS as secure as possible, it is best to associate your tokens with a unique identification
number called a PAG (for process authentication group). PAGprocess authentication group (PAG)setpag argument to klog command AFS-modified login utilities automatically create a PAG and associate the new
token with it. To create a PAG when you use the two-step login procedure, include the klog
command's -setpag flag. If you do not use this flag, your tokens are associated with your
UNIX UID number instead. This type of association has two potential drawbacks:
Anyone who can assume your local UNIX identity can use your tokens. The local superuser root can always use the UNIX su command to assume your UNIX UID,
even without knowing your password.In some environments, certain programs cannot use your tokens even when it is appropriate for them to do so. For
example, printing commands such as lp or lpr possibly
cannot access the files you want to print, because they cannot use your tokens.Obtaining Tokens For Foreign Cellsauthenticationin a foreign cellA token is valid only in one cell (the cell whose AFS authentication service issued it). The AFS server processes in
any other cell consider you to be the anonymous user unless you have an account in the cell
and authenticate with its AFS authentication service.To obtain tokens in a foreign cell, use the -cell argument to the klog command. You can have tokens for your home cell and one or more foreign cells at the same
time.The One-Token-Per-Cell RuleYou can have only one token per cell for each PAG you have obtained on a client machine. If you already have a token
for a particular cell and issue the klog command, the new token overwrites the existing
one. Getting a new token is useful if your current token is almost expired but you want to continue accessing AFS files. For
a discussion of token expiration, see Token Lifetime.To obtain a second token for the same cell, you must either login on a different machine or establish another separate
connection to the machine where you already have a token (by using the telnet utility, for
example). You get a new PAG for each separate machine or connection, and can use the associated tokens only while working on
that machine or connection.Obtaining Tokens as Another Userauthenticationas another userYou can authenticate as another username if you know the associated password. (It is, of course, unethical to use
someone else's tokens without permission.) If you use the klog command to authenticate as
another AFS username, you retain your own local (UNIX) identity, but the AFS server processes recognize you as the other
user. The new token replaces any token you already have for the relevant cell (for the reason described in The One-Token-Per-Cell Rule).Token Lifetimetokenslifetimelifetime of tokensTokens have a limited lifetime. To determine when your tokens expire, issue the tokens command as described in To Display Your Tokens. If you are ever
unable to access AFS in a way that you normally can, issuing the tokens command tells you
whether an expired token is a possible reason.Your cell's administrators set the default lifetime of your token. The AFS authentication service never grants a token
lifetime longer than the default, but you can request a token with a shorter lifetime. See the klog reference page in the OpenAFS Administration Reference to learn how to use
its -lifetime argument for this purpose.Authenticating for DFS Accesscommandsdlogcommandsdpassdlog commanddpass commandauthenticationwith DCE for DFS accessIf your machine is configured to access a DCE cell's DFS filespace by means of the AFS/DFS Migration Toolkit, you can
use the dlog command to authenticate with DCE. The dlog
command has no effect on your ability to access AFS filespace.If your system administrator has converted your AFS account to a DCE account and you are not sure of your DCE
password, use the dpass command to display it. You must be authenticated as the AFS user
whose AFS account was converted to a DCE account, and be able to provide the correct AFS password. Like the dlog command, the dpass command has no functionality with respect to
AFS.For more information on using the dlog and dpass
commands, see your system administrator.To Authenticate with AFSklog commandcommandsklogtokensgettingIf your machine is not using an AFS-modified login utility, you must authenticate after login by issuing the klog command. You can also issue this command at any time to obtain a token with a later expiration
date than your current token.
% klog [-setpag] [-cell <cell name>]
Password: your_AFS_passwordwhere
-setpagAssociates the resulting tokens with a PAG (see Protecting Your Tokens with a PAG).
Include this flag the first time you obtain a token for a particular cell during a login session or connection. Do not
include it when refreshing the token for a cell during the same session.-cellNames the cell for which to obtain the token. You must have an account in the cell.Your password does not echo visibly appear on the screen. When the command shell prompt returns, you are an
authenticated AFS user. You can use the tokens command to verify that you are authenticated,
as described in the following section.To Display Your TokenscheckingtokenscommandstokenstokenscommandtokensdisplayingdisplayingtokensUse the tokens command to display your tokens.
% tokensThe following output indicates that you have no tokens:
Tokens held by the Cache Manager:
--End of list--
If you have one or more tokens, the output looks something like the following example, in which the tokens for AFS UID
1022 in the abc.com cell expire on August 3 at 2:35 p.m. The tokens for AFS UID 9554 in the
stateu.edu cell expire on August 4 at 1:02 a.m.
Tokens held by the Cache Manager:
User's (AFS ID 1022) tokens for afs@abc.com [Expires Aug 3 14:35]
User's (AFS ID 9554) tokens for afs@stateu.edu [Expires Aug 4 1:02]
--End of list--
Example: Authenticating in the Local CellexamplesauthenticatingSuppose that user terry cannot save a file. He uses the tokens command and finds that his tokens have expired. He reauthenticates in his local cell under his
current identity by issuing the following command:
% klog
Password: terry's_passwordThe he issues the tokens command to make sure he is authenticated.
% tokens
Tokens held by the Cache Manager:
User's (AFS ID 4562) tokens for afs@abc.com [Expires Jun 22 14:35]
--End of list--
Example: Authenticating as a Another Userexamplesauthenticating as another userNow terry authenticates in his local cell as another user, pat. The new token replaces terry's existing token, because the Cache
Manager can store only one token per cell per login session on a machine.
% klog pat
Password: pat's_password
% tokens
Tokens held by the Cache Manager:
User's (AFS ID 4278) tokens for afs@abc.com [Expires Jun 23 9:46]
--End of list--
Example: Authenticating in a Foreign Cellexamplesauthenticating in a foreign cellNow terry authenticates in the stateu.edu cell where
his account is called ts09.
% klog ts09 -cell stateu.edu
Password: ts09's_password
% tokens
Tokens held by the Cache Manager:
User's (AFS ID 4562) tokens for afs@abc.com [Expires Jun 22 14:35]
User's (AFS ID 8346) tokens for afs@stateu.edu [Expires Jun 23 1:02]
--End of list--
Limits on Failed Authentication Attemptsauthenticationlimits on consecutive failed attemptsYour system administrator can choose to limit the number of times that you fail to provide the correct password when
authenticating with AFS (using either an AFS-modified login utility or the klog command). If
you exceed the limit, the AFS authentication service refuses further authentication attempts for a period of time set by your
system administrator. The purpose of this limit is to prevent unauthorized users from breaking into your account by trying a
series of passwords.To determine if your user account is subject to this limit, ask your system administrator or issue the kas examine command as described in To Display Your Failed Authentication Limit
and Lockout Time.The following message indicates that you have exceeded the limit on failed authentication attempts.
Unable to authenticate to AFS because ID is locked - see your system admin
To Display Your Failed Authentication Limit and Lockout Timekas commandsexaminecommandskas examinelimits on authentication attemptsusersaccount lockout timeIssue the kas examine command to determine if there is a limit on the number of
unsuccessful authentication attempts for your user account and any associated lockout time. You can examine only your own
account. The fourth line of the output reports the maximum number of times you can provide an incorrect password before being
locked out of your account. The lock time field on the next line reports how long the AFS
authentication service refuses authentication attempts after the limit is exceeded.
% kas examineyour_username
Password for your_username: your_AFS_passwordThe following example displays the output for the user pat, who is allowed nine failed
authentication attempts. The lockout time is 25.5 minutes.
User data for pat
key (15) cksum is 3414844392, last cpw: Thu Oct 21 16:05:44 1999
password will expire: Fri Nov 26 20:44:36 1999
9 consecutive unsuccessful authentications are permitted.
The lock time for this user is 25.5 minutes.
User is not locked.
entry never expires. Max ticket lifetime 100.00 hours.
last mod on Wed Aug 18 08:22:29 1999 by admin
permit password reuse
Exiting an AFS Sessiontokensdestroyingunauthenticatingexiting an AFS sessionlogging outquitting an AFS sessionBecause logging in and authenticating with AFS are distinct operations, you must both logout and unauthenticate (issue the
unlog command to discard your tokens) when exiting an AFS session. Simply logging out does not
necessarily destroy your tokens.You can use the unlog command any time you want to unauthenticate, not just when logging
out. For instance, it is a good practice to unauthenticate before leaving your machine unattended, to prevent other users from
using your tokens during your absence. When you return to your machine, issue the klog command
to reauthenticate, as described in To Authenticate with AFS.Do not issue the unlog command when you are running jobs that take a long time to
complete, even if you are logging out. Such processes must have a token during the entire time they need authenticated access to
AFS.If you have tokens from multiple cells and want to discard only some of them, include the unlog command's -cell argument.To Discard Tokenscommandsunlogunlog commandIssue the unlog command to discard your tokens:
% unlog -cell <cell name>+Omit the -cell argument to discard all of your tokens, or use it to name each cell for
which to discard tokens. It is best to provide the full name of each cell (such as stateu.edu
or abc.com).You can issue the tokens command to verify that your tokens were destroyed, as in the
following example.
% tokens
Tokens held by the Cache Manager:
--End of list--
Example: Unauthenticating from a Specific Cellexamplesunauthenticating from selected cellsIn the following example, a user has tokens in both the accounting and marketing cells at her company. She discards the token for the acctg.abc.com cell but keeps the token for the mktg.abc.com
cell.
% tokens
Tokens held by the Cache Manager:
User's (AFS ID 35) tokens for afs@acctg.abc.com [Expires Nov 10 22:30]
User's (AFS ID 674) tokens for afs@mktg.abc.com [Expires Nov 10 18:44]
--End of list--
% unlog -cell acctg.abc.com
% tokens
Tokens held by the Cache Manager:
User's (AFS ID 674) tokens for afs@mktg.abc.com [Expires Nov 10 18:44]
--End of list--
To Log OutAfter you have unauthenticated, log out by issuing the command appropriate for your machine type, which is possibly one
of the following.
% logoutor
% exitor
% <Ctrl-d>
Accessing the AFS Filespacefilesaccessing AFSdirectoriesaccessing AFSWhile you are logged in and authenticated, you can access files in AFS just as you do in the UNIX file system. The only
difference is that you can access potentially many more files. Just as in the UNIX file system, you can only access those files
for which you have permission. AFS uses access control lists (ACLs) to control access, as described in Protecting Your Directories and Files.AFS PathnamespathnamesAFS pathnames look very similar to UNIX file system names. The main difference is that every AFS pathname begins with
the AFS root directory, which is called /afs by convention. Having /afs at the top of every AFS cell's filespace links together their filespaces into a global filespace.
AFSaccessing filespaceaccess to AFS filespaceformat of pathnamesafs (/afs) directoryas root of AFS filespaceformat of AFS pathnamesNote for Windows users: Windows uses a backslash ( \ ) rather than a forward slash ( / ) to separate the
elements in a pathname. Otherwise, your access to AFS filespace is much the same as for users working on UNIX machines.The second element in AFS pathnames is generally a cell's name. For example, the ABC Corporation cell is called
abc.com and the pathname of every file in its filespace begins with the string /afs/abc.com. Some cells also create a directory at the second level with a shortened name (such as
abc for abc.com or stateu
for stateu.edu), to reduce the amount of typing necessary. Your system administrator can tell
you if your cell's filespace includes shortened names like this. The rest of the pathname depends on how the cell's
administrators organized its filespace.To access directories and files in AFS you must both specify the correct pathname and have the required permissions on
the ACL that protects the directory and the files in it.Example: Displaying the Contents of Another User's DirectoryThe user terry wants to look for a file belonging to another user, pat. He issues the ls command on the appropriate pathname.
% ls /afs/abc.com/usr/pat/public
doc/ directions/
guide/ jokes/
library/
Accessing Foreign Cellsforeign cellsaccessingsystem:anyuser groupcontrolling access by foreign usersYou can access files not only in your own cell, but in any AFS cell that you can reach via the network, regardless of
geographical location. There are two additional requirements:
Your Cache Manager's list of foreign cells must include the cell you want to access. Only the local superuser
root can edit the list of cells, but anyone can display it. See Determining Access to Foreign Cells.The ACL on the directory that houses the file, and on every parent directory in the pathname, must grant you the
necessary permissions. The simplest way for the directory's owner to extend permission to foreign users is to put an entry
for the system:anyuser group on the ACL.The alternative is for the foreign cell's administrator to create an account for you, essentially making you a local
user in the cell. The directory's owner creates an ACL entry for you as for any other local user. To authenticate in the
foreign cell, issue the klog command with the -cell
argument.For further discussion of directory and file protection, see Protecting Your Directories and
Files.Changing Your PasswordIn cells that use an AFS-modified login utility, the password is the same for both logging in and authenticating with AFS.
In this case, you use a single command, kpasswd, to change the password.If your machine does not use an AFS-modified login utility, there are separate passwords for logging into the local file
system and authenticating with AFS. (The two passwords can be the same or different, at your discretion.) In this case, use the
kpasswd command to change your AFS password and the UNIX passwd command to change your UNIX password.Your system administrator can improve cell security by configuring several features that guide your choice of password.
Keep them in mind when you issue the kpasswd command:
Limiting the amount of time your password is valid. This improves your cell's security by limiting the amount of time
an unauthorized user has to try to guess your password. Your system administrator needs to tell you when your password is
due to expire so that you can change it in time. The administrator can configure the AFS-modified login utility to report
this information automatically each time you log in. You can also use the kas examine
command to display the password expiration date, as instructed in To Display Password Expiration
Date and Reuse Policy.You can change your password prior to the expiration date, but your system administrator can choose to set a minimum
time between password changes. The following message indicates that the minimum time has not yet passed.
kpasswd: password was not changed because you changed it too
recently; see your system administrator
Enforcing password quality standards, such as a minimum length or inclusion of nonalphabetic characters. The
administrator needs to tell you about such requirements so that you do not waste time picking unacceptable passwords.Rejecting a password that is too similar to the last 20 passwords you used. You can use the kas
examine command to check whether this policy applies to you, as instructed in To Display
Password Expiration Date and Reuse Policy. The following message indicates that the password you have chosen is too
similar to a previous password.
kpasswd: Password was not changed because it seems like a reused password
To Display Password Expiration Date and Reuse Policykas commandsexaminecommandskas examinepasswordexpiration date, displayingpasswordreuse policy, displayingdisplayingpassword expiration datedisplayingpassword reuse policyIssue the kas examine command to display your password expiration date and reuse
policy. You can examine only your own account. The third line of the output reports your password's expiration date. The last
line reports the password reuse policy that applies to you.
% kas examineyour_username
Password for your_username: your_AFS_passwordThe following example displays the output for the user pat.
User data for pat
key (15) cksum is 3414844392, last cpw: Thu Oct 21 16:05:44 1999
password will expire: Fri Nov 26 20:44:36 1999
9 consecutive unsuccessful authentications are permitted.
The lock time for this user is 25.5 minutes.
User is not locked.
entry never expires. Max ticket lifetime 100.00 hours.
last mod on Wed Aug 18 08:22:29 1999 by admin
don't permit password reuse
To Change Your AFS Passwordpasswordchanging AFSchangingAFS passwordcommandskpasswdkpasswd commandIssue the kpasswd command, which prompts you to provide your old and new passwords and
to confirm the new password. The passwords do not echo visibly on the screen.
% kpasswd
Old password: current_password
New password (RETURN to abort): new_password
Retype new password: new_passwordTo Change Your UNIX Passwordcommandspasswdpasswdcommandpasswordchanging UNIXchangingUNIX password Issue the UNIX passwd command, which prompts you to provide your old and new passwords and to confirm the new
password. The passwords do not echo visibly on the screen. On many machines, the passwd
resides in the /bin directory, and you possibly need to type the complete pathname.
% passwd
Changing password for username.
Old password: current_password
New password: new_password
Retype new passwd: new_password