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NAME

       ThisCell - Defines the local cell name

DESCRIPTION

       The ThisCell file defines the local cell name.  There are two versions
       of this file, one for a AFS client and one for an AFS server.

   Client ThisCell
       The client version of the ThisCell file defines the complete Internet
       domain-style name (for example, "abc.com") of the cell to which the
       local client machine belongs. It must reside in the /etc/openafs
       directory on every AFS client machine. To change a client machine’s
       cell membership, edit the file and reboot the machine.

       The file is in ASCII format and contains a character string on a single
       line. The IBM AFS Quick Beginnings instructs the administrator to
       create it during the installation of each client machine.

       The client machine’s cell membership determines three defaults
       important to its functioning:

       ·   The cell in which the machine’s users authenticate by default.  The
           effect is two-fold:

           ·   The AFS-modified login utilities and the klog command
               interpreter contact an Authentication Server in the cell named
               in the ThisCell file (unless -cell argument to the klog command
               specifies an alternate cell).

           ·   The command interpreters combine the cell name with the
               password that the user provides, generating an encryption key
               from the combination. For authentication to succeed, both the
               cell name and password must match the ones used to generate the
               user’s encryption key stored in the Authentication Database.

       ·   The cell the Cache Manager considers its local, or home, cell. By
           default, the Cache Manager allows programs that reside in its home
           cell to run with setuid permission, but not programs from foreign
           cells. For more details, see the fs getcellstatus and fs setcell
           reference pages.

       ·   Which AFS server processes the local AFS command interpreters
           contact by default as they execute commands issued on the machine.

       The client version of the ThisCell file is distinct from the server
       version, which resides in the /etc/openafs/server directory on each AFS
       server machine. If a server machine also runs as a client, it is
       acceptable for the server and client versions of the file on the same
       machine to name different cells. However, the behavior that results
       from this configuration can be more confusing than useful.

   Server ThisCell
       The server version of the ThisCell file defines the complete Internet
       domain-style name (for example, "abc.com") of the cell to which the
       server machine belongs. It must reside in the /etc/openafs/server
       directory on every AFS server machine.

       The file is in ASCII format and contains a character string on a single
       line. The initial version of the file is created with the bos
       setcellname command during the installation of the cell’s first file
       server machine, and the IBM AFS Quick Beginnings includes instructions
       for copying it over to additional server machine during their
       installation.

       The only reason to edit the file is as part of changing the cell’s
       name, which is strongly discouraged because of the large number of
       configuration changes involved. In particular, changing the cell name
       requires rebuilding the entire Authentication Database, because the
       Authentication Server combines the cell name it finds in this file with
       each user and server password and converts the combination into an
       encryption key before recording it in the Database.

SEE ALSO

       bos_setcellname(8), fs_getcellstatus(1), fs_setcell(1)

COPYRIGHT

       IBM Corporation 2000. <http://www.ibm.com/> All Rights Reserved.

       This documentation is covered by the IBM Public License Version 1.0.
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