The rsh command on HP-UX can be used to:
-
execute a remote command
-
log in and initiate a shell on a remote system
-
This is a restricted shell on HP-UX.
-
grant read-only access to a system
On HP-UX systems, 'rsh' is actually a Restricted Shell, a security command that limits users to a specific set of operations. This is different from the standard Unix 'remsh' or 'rsh' (remote shell) commands that execute commands on remote systems. The restricted shell prevents users from changing directories, setting environment variables, or executing commands outside their designated path. HP-UX's security architecture distinguishes between local restricted shells and remote access utilities.
On HP-UX, the command named rsh is historically a restricted shell (similar to rbash on other systems), used to limit what a user can do (e.g., restrict directory changes or command execution), rather than the BSD "remote shell" client found on other Unix systems. HP-UX instead provides remsh for remote command execution, which is why rsh on HP-UX specifically refers to the restricted shell.