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AFS & Kerberos

AFS is a distributed file system that allows CAEN’s UNIX machines to share files on servers throughout the network. Actually, this distributed file system extends connectivity beyond the world of CAEN. AFS can be thought of as a shared file system for the entire world. Currently, this hierarchical file system is set up with the /afs directory as the root directory. Below that level are directories for each cell, or independent organization. The cell /afs/engin.umich.edu is the local cell for the entire College of Engineering. The cell /afs/umich.edu is the cell administered by the Information Technology Central Services (ITCS) and houses all the IFS home directories and ITCS software.

 

AFS is composed of file servers and clients. A file server stores files that can be accessed by other computers. These other computers are called clients of the server. AFS defines a protocol that automatically determines which file server the client can find a desired file. AFS utilizes the Kerberos authentication scheme to validate users’ rights to access files. Kerberos is an extension to the normal UNIX authentication mechanism and significantly improves network security. Files are only exchanged between a client and a server if both machines are able to recognize a valid electronic authentication token (also known as a ticket.)

 

Two important AFS commands to remember are fs (file service )and pts (protection service).

 

            fs help                         Get help with the fs command.

            fs la                             Review the file permissions on your current directory.

            fs lq                             How much disk space do you have left?

            pts help                      Need help with pts?

            pts mem                     What pts groups do you belong to?

 

For more information on AFS as well as the commands that service this system, consult CAEN Technote: Setting AFS File Permissions  and Creating and Managing AFS Groups.

 

klog

The klog command allows to you obtain or extend an AFS token (priviledges) for files in a particular AFS cell. To obtain a token and ticket writing priviledges to CAEN files, type klog -t options, or klog -t -cell engin.umich.edu. To obtain privileges for IFS files, type klog -t -cell umich.edu. You may use klog to obtain privileges in other AFS cells (at MIT, CMU, etc.) if you have computer access accounts there also.

 

The klog -tmp -setpag command is different from the klog command in two ways. The obvious difference is that it doesn’t allow you to enter a cell name, but instead follows the same automatic algorithm that the remote login and Xdm login programs use, with the end result being that you may be authenticated in the engin.umich.edu or the umich.edu cells, depending on the password you enter.

 

The other difference between klog and klog -tmp -setpag is considerably more complicated, and is described in the next section.

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