Bob Bernstein writes: > Help me understand why the absence of a shell login process on these > machines constrains them from using a simple exchange of username and > password. It doesn't. You can use username/password authentication to connect to a machine on which you can not get a shell. It's just a matter of what method of authentication the administrator chooses to implement. -- John Hasler john@dhh.gt.org (John Hasler) Dancing Horse Hill Elmwood, WI