Unix authentication ?

>I was always under the impression that you don't need a password on >Unix, to make a remote call to Informix (tcp connection), as long as >your username exists in the operating system. That's not true (per default). >I have a database server, and 4 application servers, and my users do not >have a password on the database server, so they can't physically log in >there, however they still connect to Informix on the database server. On unix (maybe also on Windows ?) you can trust the user(s). That means, the user must authentification itself on one maschine and is trusted on other maschines. But this is'nt automatically - you must configure that in /etc/hosts.equiv or $HOME/.rhosts (when not disabled). >BUT, one of our Java applications does the same thing, and for some >reason it needs a home directory as well as a password on Unix. If I >leave the username/password, but give it a fake home directory, Java >gives me an error, and cannot connect to Informix - why is this ? Can it be, that the users connect to the application servers and the application servers are trusted on the database server ? But the Java application try to connect directly to the database (with username/password in the connect string) ? I'am not sure with Java, but it should also be possible to trust your Java server - remove username/password in the Java code. The user, under that (Java-) application runs, must exist on the database server (but don't need a password and don't need a home directory). >I am using IDS 7.31FD3, and Solaris 9 > >Dirk Moolman >Database and Unix Administrator >MXGROUP Regards, try_and_err