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From: bzs@bu-cs.bu.EDU (Barry Shein)
Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards
Subject: Convenient logins vs security
Message-ID: <3916@brl-smoke.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 18-Sep-86 13:19:23 EDT
Article-I.D.: brl-smok.3916
Posted: Thu Sep 18 13:19:23 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 24-Sep-86 07:01:38 EDT
Sender: news@brl-smoke.ARPA
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My solution at BU to this was to add a hack to finger: If the GECOS
field consists of the string 'RC' [utterly arbitrary] then the finger
daemon presumes there is a program by the same name as the account
in the 'home' directory that should be run and its output should be
sent instead of the normal finger output, thus:

	finger lpq@bu-cs

would respond with the queue info. I mainly liked this because adding
new ones is just a matter of adding /etc/passwd entries (like you're
moving towards.) It's also a lot cheaper than going through a login
just to get a queue status although we've done what you're doing also
with no problems. Obviously if the machine you are coming from doesn't
have net access you're out of luck for this soln.

	-Barry Shein, Boston University