Kerberos: The Definitive Guide

Chapter 2. Pieces of the Puzzle

In the previous chapter, we examined the ideas and history behind the Kerberos network authentication system. Now we’ll begin to discover how Kerberos works. Instead of introducing these concepts as they’re needed in the next chapter, I feel that it is easier to understand the nitty-gritty details of Kerberos when you have a working background in the surrounding terminology. To emphasize the importance of a solid understanding in these concepts, I have set aside this chapter to introduce you to the essential concepts and terminology that surround the use and administration of a Kerberos authentication system. While you may be familiar with some of these concepts, we’re going to examine each one in turn and describe how it relates to Kerberos.

Kerberos is a complex system, with many parts. It requires the proper functioning of many separate software components, and with each comes a set of terms and concepts that underlie the entire system. A complete introduction to all of these concepts is critical to the understanding of the whole.

After all of these terms have been introduced, we’ll finish off by putting all of the pieces together and set the stage for the detailed description of the Kerberos protocols in Chapter 3. For those who simply wish to implement a Kerberos realm and not worry about the low-level details of the protocol, this chapter will prepare you to skip directly to Chapter 4.