RDist

Features and Benefits

Unlike many other versions, MagniComp RDist does not need to be setuid "root" at all. RDist now uses rsh(1c) (remote command) or ssh(1) program to make connections to remote hosts, instead of making the connection directly. This eliminates the need to be run as "root"*.

One of the transports that can be used with MagniComp RDist is SSH. When used with SSH (see the rdist(1) man page) RDist can perform secure and encrypted updates. If your SSH is compiled with SOCKS support, RDist can perform secure and encrypted updates through SOCKS compliant firewall systems.

RDist supports automatic system configuration using the GNU autoconf program. This allows RDist to compile on numereous Unix/Linux based systems.

See the CHANGES file for the real details.

A paper titled Overhauling RDist for the '90s from the USENIX LISA VI conference is available. This paper describes in significant detail the differences and benefits in the RDist.