NAME

       /etc/hosts.equiv  - list of hosts and users that are granted "trusted" r command access to
       your system

DESCRIPTION

       The hosts.equiv file allows or denies hosts and users to use the r-commands (e.g., rlogin,
       rsh or rcp) without supplying a password.

       The file uses the following format:

       [ + | - ] [hostname] [username]

       The hostname is the name of a host which is logically equivalent to the local host.  Users
       logged into that host are allowed to access like-named user accounts  on  the  local  host
       without  supplying  a  password.   The hostname may be (optionally) preceded by a plus (+)
       sign.  If the plus sign is used alone it allows any host to access your system.   You  can
       explicitly  deny  access  to  a host by preceding the hostname by a minus (-) sign.  Users
       from that host must always supply a password.  For security reasons you should always  use
       the FQDN of the hostname and not the short hostname.

       The  username  entry  grants  a  specific  user  access to all user accounts (except root)
       without supplying a password.  That  means  the  user  is  NOT  restricted  to  like-named
       accounts.   The  username  may  be (optionally) preceded by a plus (+) sign.  You can also
       explicitly deny access to a specific user by preceding the username with a minus (-) sign.
       This says that the user is not trusted no matter what other entries for that host exist.

       Netgroups can be specified by preceding the netgroup by an @ sign.

       Be  extremely  careful  when  using the plus (+) sign.  A simple typographical error could
       result in a standalone plus sign.  A standalone plus sign is  a  wildcard  character  that
       means "any host"!

FILES

       /etc/hosts.equiv

NOTES

       Some systems will honor the contents of this file only when it has owner root and no write
       permission for anybody else.  Some exceptionally paranoid systems even require that  there
       be no other hard links to the file.

       Modern  systems  use  the  Pluggable  Authentication  Modules  library  (PAM).  With PAM a
       standalone plus sign is considered a wildcard character which means "any host"  only  when
       the  word  promiscuous  is  added  to  the  auth  component  line in your PAM file for the
       particular service (e.g., rlogin).

SEE ALSO

       rhosts(5), rlogind(8), rshd(8)

COLOPHON

       This page is part of release 3.54 of the Linux man-pages project.  A  description  of  the
       project,     and    information    about    reporting    bugs,    can    be    found    at
       http://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.