-/**
- * A random number used to "authenticate" the connection.
- *
- * para_server picks this number by random before it forks the afs process. The
- * command handlers know this number as well and write it to the afs socket,
- * together with the id of the shared memory area which contains the payload of
- * the afs command. A local process has to know this number to abuse the afs
- * service provided by the local socket.
- */