When the AUTH command is part of a protocol, it intitiates a process whereby a user is identified and authenticated to a server, and makes it possible to negotiate protection of subsequent protocol interactions between client and server if desired. When this negotiation does take place, a security layer is inserted between the protocol and the connection. If you already belong to the Internet Engineering Task Force, or regularly check out the protocol specifications published on its website, go ahead and skip the next couple of paragraphs. Otherwise, get set to bookmark these URLs for future reference. There's no place better to find out exactly what those Internet transport and security protocols are and how they re implemented, independent of brand name applications, or to get a feeling for technologies now in development and how they're liked to be commercially applied.
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