Re: tlug: What is identd?

[Jim Tittsler <jwt-tlug@example.com>]

On Sun, Mar 21, 1999 at 10:24:47PM +0000, Darren Cook wrote:
> >> auth), but I don't know if I can remove the "auth....in.identd" line. What
> >> does it do?
> >
> >identd handles incoming requests to learn the user of a TCP connection. The
> >most common use is to log who is running the process that just established a
> >connection to your server (SMTP most commonly I suppose, but also IRC, FTP,
> 
> So, am I correct in thinking I can remove it if I want, and all software
> will still run okay? It's reason for existence is logging, error tracking,
> diagnosis, etc.

It doesn't really help your end at all... only the other side of the
connection, who can then find out the "user" of that connection and use
that to complain to you.  :-)  So it does add some accountability to your
system if it is large/multiuser.

My mailer always does ident lookups on connections, but it will still accept
mail even if it fails.  (This is why you don't want a firewall to just drop
packets on the ident port, but rather reject them.  If they are dropped,
machines like mine will have to sit there for the ident timeout before
figuring out you aren't going to respond... significantly slowing your
(SMTP) connections.) I suppose a paranoid admin could refuse to accept mail
in the case where they could not get the ident of the other side (not that
they would be following the recommended practice).  You *can* have trouble
with some other services.  Many IRC servers will treat you differently (or
refuse to let you connect at all) if they can't do an ident lookup.

But right, for most things, for most remote servers, you can run without it.

-- 
Jim Tittsler, Tokyo   ICQ: 5981586

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Next Technical Meeting: April 10 (Sat), 12:30   place: Temple Univ.
*** featuring: LabView and UDB/DB2 for Linux
Next Nomikai: May 21 (Fri), 19:30    Tengu TokyoEkiMae 03-3275-3691
-------------------------------------------------------------------
more info: http://www.tlug.gr.jp        Sponsor: Global Online Japan