diff --git a/daemon/remote.c b/daemon/remote.c
index c92223eacd..45c50f316f 100644
--- a/daemon/remote.c
+++ b/daemon/remote.c
@@ -2391,10 +2391,8 @@ remoteDispatchAuthList(virNetServerPtr server ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
                 goto cleanup;
             }
             VIR_INFO("Bypass polkit auth for privileged client %s", ident);
-            if (virNetServerClientSetIdentity(client, ident) < 0)
-                virResetLastError();
-            else
-                auth = VIR_NET_SERVER_SERVICE_AUTH_NONE;
+            virNetServerClientSetAuth(client, 0);
+            auth = VIR_NET_SERVER_SERVICE_AUTH_NONE;
             VIR_FREE(ident);
         }
     }
@@ -2535,9 +2533,7 @@ remoteSASLFinish(virNetServerClientPtr client)
     if (!virNetSASLContextCheckIdentity(saslCtxt, identity))
         return -2;
 
-    if (virNetServerClientSetIdentity(client, identity) < 0)
-        goto error;
-
+    virNetServerClientSetAuth(client, 0);
     virNetServerClientSetSASLSession(client, priv->sasl);
 
     VIR_DEBUG("Authentication successful %d", virNetServerClientGetFD(client));
@@ -2869,7 +2865,7 @@ remoteDispatchAuthPolkit(virNetServerPtr server ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
              action, (long long) callerPid, callerUid);
     ret->complete = 1;
 
-    virNetServerClientSetIdentity(client, ident);
+    virNetServerClientSetAuth(client, 0);
     virMutexUnlock(&priv->lock);
     virCommandFree(cmd);
     VIR_FREE(pkout);
@@ -3024,8 +3020,8 @@ remoteDispatchAuthPolkit(virNetServerPtr server ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
              action, (long long) callerPid, callerUid,
              polkit_result_to_string_representation(pkresult));
     ret->complete = 1;
-    virNetServerClientSetIdentity(client, ident);
 
+    virNetServerClientSetAuth(client, 0);
     virMutexUnlock(&priv->lock);
     VIR_FREE(ident);
     return 0;
diff --git a/src/libvirt_private.syms b/src/libvirt_private.syms
index 8fe0b97a4f..6ee6b6939b 100644
--- a/src/libvirt_private.syms
+++ b/src/libvirt_private.syms
@@ -852,7 +852,6 @@ virNetServerClientClose;
 virNetServerClientDelayedClose;
 virNetServerClientGetAuth;
 virNetServerClientGetFD;
-virNetServerClientGetIdentity;
 virNetServerClientGetPrivateData;
 virNetServerClientGetReadonly;
 virNetServerClientGetTLSKeySize;
@@ -871,9 +870,9 @@ virNetServerClientPreExecRestart;
 virNetServerClientRemoteAddrString;
 virNetServerClientRemoveFilter;
 virNetServerClientSendMessage;
+virNetServerClientSetAuth;
 virNetServerClientSetCloseHook;
 virNetServerClientSetDispatcher;
-virNetServerClientSetIdentity;
 virNetServerClientStartKeepAlive;
 virNetServerClientWantClose;
 
diff --git a/src/rpc/virnetserverclient.c b/src/rpc/virnetserverclient.c
index 446e1e9168..9e519e66c0 100644
--- a/src/rpc/virnetserverclient.c
+++ b/src/rpc/virnetserverclient.c
@@ -64,7 +64,6 @@ struct _virNetServerClient
     virNetSocketPtr sock;
     int auth;
     bool readonly;
-    char *identity;
 #if WITH_GNUTLS
     virNetTLSContextPtr tlsCtxt;
     virNetTLSSessionPtr tls;
@@ -442,7 +441,6 @@ virNetServerClientPtr virNetServerClientNewPostExecRestart(virJSONValuePtr objec
     virJSONValuePtr child;
     virNetServerClientPtr client = NULL;
     virNetSocketPtr sock;
-    const char *identity = NULL;
     int auth;
     bool readonly;
     unsigned int nrequests_max;
@@ -463,12 +461,6 @@ virNetServerClientPtr virNetServerClientNewPostExecRestart(virJSONValuePtr objec
                        _("Missing nrequests_client_max field in JSON state document"));
         return NULL;
     }
-    if (virJSONValueObjectHasKey(object, "identity") &&
-        (!(identity = virJSONValueObjectGetString(object, "identity")))) {
-        virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR, "%s",
-                       _("Missing identity field in JSON state document"));
-        return NULL;
-    }
 
     if (!(child = virJSONValueObjectGet(object, "sock"))) {
         virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR, "%s",
@@ -493,10 +485,6 @@ virNetServerClientPtr virNetServerClientNewPostExecRestart(virJSONValuePtr objec
     }
     virObjectUnref(sock);
 
-    if (identity &&
-        virNetServerClientSetIdentity(client, identity) < 0)
-        goto error;
-
     if (privNew) {
         if (!(child = virJSONValueObjectGet(object, "privateData"))) {
             virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR, "%s",
@@ -536,10 +524,6 @@ virJSONValuePtr virNetServerClientPreExecRestart(virNetServerClientPtr client)
     if (virJSONValueObjectAppendNumberUint(object, "nrequests_max", client->nrequests_max) < 0)
         goto error;
 
-    if (client->identity &&
-        virJSONValueObjectAppendString(object, "identity", client->identity) < 0)
-        goto error;
-
     if (!(child = virNetSocketPreExecRestart(client->sock)))
         goto error;
 
@@ -576,6 +560,13 @@ int virNetServerClientGetAuth(virNetServerClientPtr client)
     return auth;
 }
 
+void virNetServerClientSetAuth(virNetServerClientPtr client, int auth)
+{
+    virObjectLock(client);
+    client->auth = auth;
+    virObjectUnlock(client);
+}
+
 bool virNetServerClientGetReadonly(virNetServerClientPtr client)
 {
     bool readonly;
@@ -663,32 +654,6 @@ void virNetServerClientSetSASLSession(virNetServerClientPtr client,
 #endif
 
 
-int virNetServerClientSetIdentity(virNetServerClientPtr client,
-                                  const char *identity)
-{
-    int ret = -1;
-    virObjectLock(client);
-    if (!(client->identity = strdup(identity))) {
-        virReportOOMError();
-        goto error;
-    }
-    ret = 0;
-
-error:
-    virObjectUnlock(client);
-    return ret;
-}
-
-const char *virNetServerClientGetIdentity(virNetServerClientPtr client)
-{
-    const char *identity;
-    virObjectLock(client);
-    identity = client->identity;
-    virObjectUnlock(client);
-    return identity;
-}
-
-
 void *virNetServerClientGetPrivateData(virNetServerClientPtr client)
 {
     void *data;
@@ -743,7 +708,6 @@ void virNetServerClientDispose(void *obj)
         client->privateDataFreeFunc)
         client->privateDataFreeFunc(client->privateData);
 
-    VIR_FREE(client->identity);
 #if WITH_SASL
     virObjectUnref(client->sasl);
 #endif
@@ -1319,7 +1283,7 @@ bool virNetServerClientNeedAuth(virNetServerClientPtr client)
 {
     bool need = false;
     virObjectLock(client);
-    if (client->auth && !client->identity)
+    if (client->auth)
         need = true;
     virObjectUnlock(client);
     return need;
diff --git a/src/rpc/virnetserverclient.h b/src/rpc/virnetserverclient.h
index 325f5d9c4e..31414bc4d5 100644
--- a/src/rpc/virnetserverclient.h
+++ b/src/rpc/virnetserverclient.h
@@ -76,6 +76,7 @@ void virNetServerClientRemoveFilter(virNetServerClientPtr client,
                                     int filterID);
 
 int virNetServerClientGetAuth(virNetServerClientPtr client);
+void virNetServerClientSetAuth(virNetServerClientPtr client, int auth);
 bool virNetServerClientGetReadonly(virNetServerClientPtr client);
 
 # ifdef WITH_GNUTLS
@@ -92,10 +93,6 @@ int virNetServerClientGetFD(virNetServerClientPtr client);
 
 bool virNetServerClientIsSecure(virNetServerClientPtr client);
 
-int virNetServerClientSetIdentity(virNetServerClientPtr client,
-                                  const char *identity);
-const char *virNetServerClientGetIdentity(virNetServerClientPtr client);
-
 int virNetServerClientGetUNIXIdentity(virNetServerClientPtr client,
                                       uid_t *uid, gid_t *gid, pid_t *pid);