NAME

       gss_export_sec_context - API function

SYNOPSIS

       #include <gss.h>

       OM_uint32  gss_export_sec_context(OM_uint32  *  minor_status, gss_ctx_id_t * context_handle, gss_buffer_t
       interprocess_token);

ARGUMENTS

       OM_uint32 * minor_status
                   (Integer, modify) Mechanism specific status code.

       gss_ctx_id_t * context_handle
                   (gss_ctx_id_t, modify) Context handle identifying
                     the context to transfer.

       gss_buffer_t interprocess_token
                   (buffer, opaque, modify) Token to be
                     transferred to target process.  Storage associated with this
                     token must be freed by the application after use with a call to
                     gss_release_buffer().

DESCRIPTION

       Provided to support the sharing of work between multiple processes.  This routine will typically be  used
       by  the  context-acceptor, in an application where a single process receives incoming connection requests
       and accepts security contexts over them, then passes  the  established  context  to  one  or  more  other
       processes for message exchange. gss_export_sec_context() deactivates the security context for the calling
       process and creates an interprocess  token  which,  when  passed  to  gss_import_sec_context  in  another
       process,  will  re-activate  the  context  in  the second process. Only a single instantiation of a given
       context may be active at any one time; a subsequent attempt by a context exporter to access the  exported
       security context will fail.

       The  implementation  may  constrain the set of processes by which the interprocess token may be imported,
       either as a function of local security policy, or as a result of implementation decisions.  For  example,
       some  implementations  may constrain contexts to be passed only between processes that run under the same
       account, or which are part of the same process group.

       The interprocess token may contain  security-sensitive  information  (for  example  cryptographic  keys).
       While  mechanisms  are  encouraged to either avoid placing such sensitive information within interprocess
       tokens, or to encrypt the token before returning it to  the  application,  in  a  typical  object-library
       GSS-API  implementation  this  may  not  be  possible. Thus the application must take care to protect the
       interprocess token, and ensure that any process to which the token is transferred is trustworthy.

       If creation of the interprocess token is successful, the implementation shall deallocate all process-wide
       resources  associated  with the security context, and set the context_handle to GSS_C_NO_CONTEXT.  In the
       event of an error that makes  it  impossible  to  complete  the  export  of  the  security  context,  the
       implementation  must  not  return  an interprocess token, and should strive to leave the security context
       referenced by the context_handle parameter untouched.  If this is impossible, it is permissible  for  the
       implementation  to  delete  the  security context, providing it also sets the context_handle parameter to
       GSS_C_NO_CONTEXT.

RETURN VALUE

       `GSS_S_COMPLETE`: Successful completion.

       `GSS_S_CONTEXT_EXPIRED`: The context has expired.

       `GSS_S_NO_CONTEXT`: The context was invalid.

       `GSS_S_UNAVAILABLE`: The operation is not supported.

REPORTING BUGS

       Report    bugs    to    <bug-gss@gnu.org>.     GNU    Generic     Security     Service     home     page:
       http://www.gnu.org/software/gss/ General help using GNU software: http://www.gnu.org/gethelp/

COPYRIGHT

       Copyright © 2003-2013 Simon Josefsson.
       Copying  and distribution of this file, with or without modification, are permitted in any medium without
       royalty provided the copyright notice and this notice are preserved.

SEE ALSO

       The full documentation for gss is maintained as a Texinfo manual.  If  the  info  and  gss  programs  are
       properly installed at your site, the command

              info gss

       should give you access to the complete manual.