RHOSTS(5)

📦
version 85 · 4 versions
, in debian bookworm, ubuntu jammy, ubuntu noble

✨ NAME ✨

okay bestie, welcome to RHOSTS(5) — the manual page for rhosts. It's giving "let me slide into your machine without a password" energy, because that's literally what it does: allow rlogin, rsh and rcp connections to the local machine without a password. no cap. 💅

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

$HOME/.rhosts

That's the whole vibe. One file. In your home dir. Periodt. ✨

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

The .rhosts file can allow specific remote users and/or hosts to execute commands on the local machine. Like, it's the guest list, but for shell access. 🙈

The file uses the following format:

host [user | @group]

So let's break it down, bestie:

  • An entry like that grants password-free access for the user with the login name user from host. No password prompt, no "who dis", just in. 😭
  • If no user is specified, the user must have the same login name on the remote host and the local host. Same username or it's not happening. 💀
  • For security reasons you should always use the FQDN of the hostname and not the short hostname. Like, FQDN only, bestie — short hostnames are not the move. 🚫
  • Netgroups can be specified by preceding the group by an @ sign. So @group is a thing. Slay. 💖
The .rhosts file must be owned by the user or root, and writable only by the owner. That's the permission vibe check. 🎀

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

Go read those too, they're the supporting cast. 👑

And that's the whole page, bestie. This icon was served to you by RHOSTS(5), dated Sun, 13 Apr 2003 00:24:32 +0200. Stay safe, keep your .rhosts permissions tight, and don't let strangers in without the FQDN. mwah 💋✨

📦 where this page comes from