SUMM: xhost + functionnality without being logged in

From: Guy Dallaire <gdallaire_at_gustave.revenu.gouv.qc.ca>
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 1997 10:26:52 -0400 (EDT)

Thanks to everyone who replied.

First, here is the question:

Is there a way to have xhost + functionnality (permit anuone to display on
our screen) without actually having to start a session (go past the login
dialog) and type xhost + on the display that we want to give away ?

What we would like is that the console of some machine be accessible by any
other machine automatically after bootup.

We know that by doing this, everyone will be able to send pictures of the
boss on the console but we don't care.

We tried putting an xhost + in an rc3.d script, but that did not work
because we were not actually using X at this time.

We can do this with Exceed (I mean, we can use another workstation to
display X apps in the exceed windoweven before we are logged in) by going
in the security options and enable any host acess to the screen.

What should we do in a dtlogin (CDE) and an xdm environment to enable that
kind of behavior ?

------------------------------------

The answer:

A lot of people suggested that we used the /etc/X0.hosts file and put the
name of the hosts we want to permit access to server 0 in. For some reason,
it never worked as expected.

What we finally did was (For CDE)

a) Edit the /usr/dt/config/Xconfig file and add a line like this to it:
Dtlogin._0.setup: Xsetup_0

This tells dtlogin to use Xsetup_0 for the console, otherwise, it uses the
default Xsetup

b) Modify Xsetup_0 and add xhosts commands at the end, like this:

xhost +zebra
xhost +arthur

For xdm, I presume that you have to modify /var/X11/xdm/Xsetup_0 in a
similar way, but I'm not sure.

Please also note that when you'll edit the /usr/dt/config/* files, you'll
read in the header of the files that they should not be modified and that
you should modify those in /etc/dt instead. There are NO files in our
/etc/dt directory ! Also, if you look in /sbin/init.d/xlogin, you'll
discover that the /usr/dt/config files are indeed used by default, so I
wonder why they ask you not to moidify them !

Anyway, modifications should be noted somewhere and the appropriate people
at your location should be informed of that fact.

**************************
Important security note:
**************************
Enabling X access to the console from anyone can be very dangerous except
if you are in a trusted closed network (we are). Otherwise, someone could
use an application to capture keystrokes and get root password, etc...
Received on Thu Oct 16 1997 - 17:25:33 NZDT

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Wed Nov 08 2023 - 11:53:36 NZDT