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<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"><title>The Linux-PAM Application Developers' Guide</title><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets Vsnapshot"><meta name="description" content="This manual documents what an application developer needs to know about the Linux-PAM library. It describes how an application might use the Linux-PAM library to authenticate users. In addition it contains a description of the functions to be found in libpam_misc library, that can be used in general applications. Finally, it contains some comments on PAM related security issues for the application developer."><link rel="home" href="Linux-PAM_ADG.html" title="The Linux-PAM Application Developers' Guide"><link rel="next" href="adg-introduction.html" title="Chapter 1. Introduction"></head><body bgcolor="white" text="black" link="#0000FF" vlink="#840084" alink="#0000FF"><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">The Linux-PAM Application Developers' Guide</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"> </td><th width="60%" align="center"> </th><td width="20%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="adg-introduction.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr></div><div class="book"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="adg"></a>The Linux-PAM Application Developers' Guide</h1></div><div><div class="authorgroup"><div class="author"><h3 class="author"><span class="firstname">Andrew G.</span> <span class="surname">Morgan</span></h3><code class="email">&lt;<a class="email" href="mailto:morgan@kernel.org">morgan@kernel.org</a>&gt;</code></div><div class="author"><h3 class="author"><span class="firstname">Thorsten</span> <span class="surname">Kukuk</span></h3><code class="email">&lt;<a class="email" href="mailto:kukuk@thkukuk.de">kukuk@thkukuk.de</a>&gt;</code></div></div></div><div><p class="releaseinfo">Version 1.1.2, 31. August 2010</p></div><div><div class="abstract"><p class="title"><b>Abstract</b></p><p>
        This manual documents what an application developer needs to know
        about the <span class="emphasis"><em>Linux-PAM</em></span> library. It
        describes how an application might use the
        <span class="emphasis"><em>Linux-PAM</em></span> library to authenticate
        users. In addition it contains a description of the functions
        to be found in <code class="filename">libpam_misc</code> library, that can
        be used in general applications. Finally, it contains some comments
        on PAM related security issues for the application developer.
      </p></div></div></div><hr></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="adg-introduction.html">1. Introduction</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="adg-introduction-description.html">1.1. Description</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="adg-introduction-synopsis.html">1.2. Synopsis</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="adg-overview.html">2. Overview</a></span></dt><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="adg-interface.html">3. 
      The public interface to <span class="emphasis"><em>Linux-PAM</em></span>
    </a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="adg-interface-by-app-expected.html">3.1. What can be expected by the application</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="adg-interface-by-app-expected.html#adg-pam_start">3.1.1. Initialization of PAM transaction</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="adg-interface-by-app-expected.html#adg-pam_end">3.1.2. Termination of PAM transaction</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="adg-interface-by-app-expected.html#adg-pam_set_item">3.1.3. Setting PAM items</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="adg-interface-by-app-expected.html#adg-pam_get_item">3.1.4. Getting PAM items</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="adg-interface-by-app-expected.html#adg-pam_strerror">3.1.5. Strings describing PAM error codes</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="adg-interface-by-app-expected.html#adg-pam_fail_delay">3.1.6. Request a delay on failure</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="adg-interface-by-app-expected.html#adg-pam_authenticate">3.1.7. Authenticating the user</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="adg-interface-by-app-expected.html#adg-pam_setcred">3.1.8. Setting user credentials</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="adg-interface-by-app-expected.html#adg-pam_acct_mgmt">3.1.9. Account validation management</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="adg-interface-by-app-expected.html#adg-pam_chauthtok">3.1.10. Updating authentication tokens</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="adg-interface-by-app-expected.html#adg-pam_open_session">3.1.11. Start PAM session management</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="adg-interface-by-app-expected.html#adg-pam_close_session">3.1.12. terminating PAM session management</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="adg-interface-by-app-expected.html#adg-pam_putenv">3.1.13. Set or change PAM environment variable</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="adg-interface-by-app-expected.html#adg-pam_getenv">3.1.14. Get a PAM environment variable</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="adg-interface-by-app-expected.html#adg-pam_getenvlist">3.1.15. Getting the PAM environment</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="adg-interface-of-app-expected.html">3.2. What is expected of an application</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="adg-interface-of-app-expected.html#adg-pam_conv">3.2.1. The conversation function</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="adg-interface-programming-notes.html">3.3. Programming notes</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="adg-security.html">4. 
      Security issues of <span class="emphasis"><em>Linux-PAM</em></span>
    </a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="adg-security-library-calls.html">4.1. Care about standard library calls</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="adg-security-service-name.html">4.2. Choice of a service name</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="adg-security-conv-function.html">4.3. The conversation function</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="adg-security-user-identity.html">4.4. The identity of the user</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="adg-security-resources.html">4.5. Sufficient resources</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="adg-libpam_misc.html">5. A library of miscellaneous helper functions</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="adg-libpam-functions.html">5.1. Functions supplied</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="adg-libpam-functions.html#adg-misc_conv">5.1.1. Text based conversation function</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="adg-libpam-functions.html#adg-pam_misc_paste_env">5.1.2. Transcribing an environment to that of PAM</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="adg-libpam-functions.html#adg-pam_misc_drop_env">5.1.3. Liberating a locally saved environment</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="adg-libpam-functions.html#adg-pam_misc_setenv">5.1.4. BSD like PAM environment variable setting</a></span></dt></dl></dd></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="adg-porting.html">6. Porting legacy applications</a></span></dt><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="adg-glossary.html">7. Glossary of PAM related terms</a></span></dt><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="adg-example.html">8. An example application</a></span></dt><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="adg-files.html">9. Files</a></span></dt><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="adg-see-also.html">10. See also</a></span></dt><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="adg-author.html">11. Author/acknowledgments</a></span></dt><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="adg-copyright.html">12. Copyright information for this document</a></span></dt></dl></div></div><div class="navfooter"><hr><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"> </td><td width="20%" align="center"> </td><td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="adg-introduction.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top"> </td><td width="20%" align="center"> </td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> Chapter 1. Introduction</td></tr></table></div></body></html>