PAM_AUTHENTICATE(3) App. Programmers' Manual PAM_AUTHENTICATE(3)NAMEpam_authenticate - authenticate a user
SYNOPSIS
#include <security/pam_appl.h>
int pam_authenticate(pam_handle_t *pamh, int flags);
DESCRIPTIONpam_authenticate
Use this function to authenticate an applicant user. It is linked
dynamically to the authentication modules by Linux-PAM. It is the task
of these module to perform such an authentication. The specific nature
of the authentication is not the concern of the application.
Following successful completion, the name of the authenticated user
will be present in the Linux-PAM item PAM_USER. This item may be
recovered with a call to pam_get_item(3).
The application developer should note that the modules may request that
the user enter their username via the conversation mechanism (see
pam_start(3)). Should this be the case, the user-prompt string can be
set via the PAM_USER_PROMPT item (see pam_set_item(3)).
RETURN VALUE
On success PAM_SUCCESS is returned. All other returns should be con‐
sidered authentication failures and will be delayed by an amount speci‐
fied with prior calls to pam_fail_delay(3). Specific failures that
demand special attention are the following:
PAM_ABORT
the application should exit immediately. Of course, pam_end(3)
should be called first.
PAM_MAXTRIES
the application has tried too many times to authenticate the
user, authentication should not be attempted again.
ERRORS
May be translated to text with pam_strerror(3).
CONFORMING TO
DCE-RFC 86.0, October 1995.
BUGS
none known.
SEE ALSOpam_start(3), pam_get_item(3)pam_fail_delay(3) and pam_strerror(3).
Also, see the three Linux-PAM Guides, for System administrators, module
developers, and application developers.
Linux-PAM 0.55 1996 Dec 9 PAM_AUTHENTICATE(3)