pam_authenticate(3)

NAME
     pam_authenticate - authenticate a user


SYNOPSIS
     #include <security/pam_appl.h>

     int pam_authenticate(pam_handle_t *pamh, int  flags);



DESCRIPTION
     pam_authenticate

     Use this function to authenticate an applicant user.  It is linked
     dynamically to the authentication modules by 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 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
     considered authentication failures and will be delayed by an amount
     specified 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 ALSO
     pam_start(3), pam_get_item(3) pam_fail_delay(3) and pam_strerror(3).

     Also, see the three PAM Guides, for System administrators, module
     developers, and application developers.