SUMMARY: Network-aware fingerd?

From: Jochen Bern (bern@kleopatra.Uni-Trier.DE)
Date: Tue Dec 14 1993 - 05:50:44 CST


Well, in Fact, it's probably just a *preliminary* Summary. I asked:

> Folks, I'm pretty sure that someone already did this, but I can't find it ...
>
> My Users have asked me that I should inhibit fingerd giving out "sensible
> Information". However, I'ld prefer not to turn it off completely (netfind
> is sooo useful :-), but then I have to hack it. What I would like to do is:

[Different Results for different Network "Distances"]

> What I would like even better is that the fingerd determines a "Distance"
> (local Host, our Cluster, Subnet 136.199.8.0, Net 136.199.0.0, Rest of the
> World) and looks up a File given by the User to tell what Info is to be
> given ... but that's a little much, I'm afraid. (Could I install several
> fingerd's and let a tcp Wrapper call up the one appropriate for the current
> Connection?)
>
> Meanwhile, I had a Look at GNU finger (too big a Hammer, and it doesn't shut
> the Holes close until the User creates a ~/.fingerrc) and at the low-Cost-
> Solution "mv /usr/ucb/finger /usr/bin", but both fall a little Bit short of
> what I imagined.

Two People suggested TCP Wrappers. The newest Version allows to replace
the Daemon supposed to answer the Request with a Program whose I/O gets
connected to the requesting Network Connection. Mike suggested incorpora-
ting a simple "Not invented here" into a custom fingerd, which is more
prohibiting than I'ld actually like Things to be. James pointed me to some
additional finger[d] Sources. However, after having read some more FM's,
I've been bitten by the Fact that you can do

        finger bern@kleopatra@claudius.uni-trier.de

which then appears to kleopatra.uni-trier.de as coming from claudius.
Thus, my Odds are: Either give up REAL Functionality (multi-@ Requests)
or treat ANY Request as (possibly) remote. Sob. I'll probably install a
privacy-conscious fingerd on the standard Port and a full-blown, within-
our-cluster-only Version on some custom Port.

Thanks to:

Butch Deal <deal@ait.nrl.navy.mil>
Dan Stromberg <strombrg@pleiades.acs.uci.edu>
Mike <mwmeyer@ingres.com>
James <james@kaiwan.com>
                                                                        J. Bern



This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : Fri Sep 28 2001 - 23:08:33 CDT