NAME

fauth - set up authentication on a file descriptor to a file server

SYNOPSIS

include "sys.m";
sys := load Sys Sys->PATH;

fauth:  fn(fd: ref FD, aname: string): ref FD;

DESCRIPTION

Fauth provides a means for the current user to authenticate to access resources available through the Styx connection represented by fd. The return value is a file descriptor, conventionally called afd, that is subsequently used to execute the authentication protocol for the server. After successful authentication, afd may be passed as the second argument to a subsequent mount call (see sys-bind(2)), with the same aname, as a ticket-of-entry for the user.

If fauth returns nil, the error case, that means the file server does not require authentication for the connection, and afd should be nil in the call to mount.

It is rare to use fauth directly; more commonly amount (see auth(2)) is used.

SEE ALSO

attach(5), security-auth(2) (particularly amount), authsrv(6)

DIAGNOSTICS

The system error string is set on error, including the server not requiring authentication, and fauth returns nil.

SYS-FAUTH(2)

Rev:  Fri Feb 20 18:39:01 GMT 2004