CalNet CalNet is a new online service at UC Berkeley that provides for authentication, authorization and information lookup. It consists of the CalNet Authentication Service and the CalNet Directory Service . CalNet Authentication Service A system whose main purpose is to allow people and services to prove their identities to each other in a reliable manner over the campus network. It is based on Kerberos , a network authentication technology originally developed at MIT .
Authentication refers to the process by which one party determines the identity of another.
Consequently, protocols and software systems have been developed that allow people and services to prove who they are even in the presence of network eavesdroppers and attackers. Kerberos is such a system. Authorization is the means by which, once authenticated, you may be assigned privileges or given access to online resources, based on your attributes or roles , as determined by a particular application. A directory service may be used as a source of such information. Currently, your CalNet ID is your employee ID or student ID, though eventually a mechanism will be provided for you to change it.