Delphi user authentication on AIX

I am writing a Delphi application that allows a user to connect to an AIX system to perform various tasks.

I need to allow a user to sign on to the AIX system before they are allowed to do any开发者_开发问答thing, so I need a method by which their username/password can be authenticated.

I had initially thought that I could display a sign on screen where they would enter their username and password, then establish an FTP connection (or Telnet, or something similar) with the AIX system, but this would not be a reliable method as the functionality may be locked down (eg. FTP port blocked etc.) which would obviously result in a failed sign on despite the username/password credentials being correct.

The bottom line is this: How can I authenticate a user's username/password against an AIX user account by using Delphi? A colleague suggested that using SSH might work, but I suppose I'd need a 3rd party component for that (if one exists). I am using Delphi 2009 Pro.

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AIX supports Kerberos, you only need a Kerberos client for Delphi.

See

How can I get a Kerberos ticket with Delphi?

Kerberos (pronounced /ˈkɛərbərəs/) is a computer network authentication protocol, which allows nodes communicating over a non-secure network to prove their identity to one another in a secure manner.