Re: using auth-source for authentication

[Ted Zlatanov]

On Wed, 14 May 2008 22:23:07 +0200 Michael Albinus <address@hidden> wrote: 

MA> Maybe you could load auth-source like we do it for password-cache.el
MA> (also from Gnus):

MA> (if (featurep 'xemacs)
MA>     (load "auth-source" 'noerror)
MA>   (require 'auth-source nil 'noerror))

MA> The advantage is, that there is no need to require auth-source.el
MA> somewhere else.

OK.

>> 1) get password where tramp-current-method == port
>> 2) get password where tramp-default-method == port

MA> I don't believe we shall use tramp-default-method. tramp-current-method
MA> shall be set already, when tramp-read-passwd is called. And
MA> tramp-default-method has even less priority than
MA> tramp-default-method-alist, which would be needed to be checked as well 
then.

OK, I took out check (2), let's stay with the simple solution of
tramp-current-method first, then "tramp."

>> 3) get password where "tramp" == port
>> 
>> The user name doesn't come from auth-sources now, but it could, if you
>> want to allow that.  Then the user could say
>> 
>> machine mymachine login tzz password zzt port tramp
>> 
>> and opening /mymachine:/file would automatically use 'tzz' as the user
>> name.  It's just another call to auth-source-user-or-password with
>> "login" instead of "password".

MA> That would be a third mechanism, beside tramp-default-user-alist and
MA> tramp-default-user. And likely, tramp-read-passwd is too late for this
MA> decision, this must be checked earlier I believe.

MA> Hmm, I'm not decided yet. Maybe we should wait, whether somebody asks for.

OK with me, let's get the password patch out there :)

MA> It would also be nice if we could have some documentation in
MA> tramp.texi. There is a node "Password caching", maybe you can extend it
MA> to something called "Password handling" or so.

I think there should be a brief mention of auth-source pointing to the
main entry, which will probably be in the Emacs manual somewhere (I'll
ask to move it out of Gnus), and maybe a sample authinfo/netrc line.  I
want users to realize auth-source can take care of all their passwords
in Emacs.  Is that OK with you or do you want more details in the Tramp
manual?

MA> Feel free to commit your changes to Tramp CVS. I'll sync it regularly
MA> with Emacs CVS, so we will get a chance for a pretest, before Tramp
MA> 2.1.14 is out.

Done.

Ted