[ale] pam vs. shadow passwords
Matthew Brown
matthew.brown at cordata.net
Tue Feb 2 11:05:39 EST 1999
This raises a good question with me...
Does anyone know of a database-driven authentication system? I hope this
isn't a RT*M question, but since the default is to use a rather unsecure
ASCII file, I thought I'd ask. Sure would be nice.
-Matthew Brown
cordata.net
----- Original Message -----
From: Michael H. Warfield <mhw at wittsend.com>
To: <chiang at nwisgw3.ic.ornl.gov>
Cc: <ale at ale.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 02, 1999 10:20 AM
Subject: Re: [ale] pam vs. shadow passwords
>Lisa Chiang enscribed thusly:
>> Can anyone explain the difference between these two methods?
>
>> I know that Redhat uses pam to control access to xdm etc... but where is
the
>> Suse equivalent? Does pam create encrypted user passwords like shadow or
are
>> they mutually exclusive?
>
> PAM, or plugable authentication modules, is a way to "plug-in" or
>change authentication systems without recompiling programs. PAM itself
>is merely an archetecture on which to hang things like NIS, NIS+, Kerberos,
>and Shadow Passwords. The idea then is that if you want to change your
>authentication method from standard passwords to shadow passwords, you
>convert your files and the reconfigure the pam modules. All of your
>"pamified" applications then automagically start using the new
authentication
>method. Shadow passwords are only one of those methods... So you could
say
>that shadow passwords are a subset or a service of PAM. You can also have
>applications with something like shadow passwords hard linked, but then
>you can't switch without replacing libraries or recompiling apps.
>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> --
>> Lisa Chiang
>> Georgia Institute of Technology
>> gt6492d at gatech.campuscwix.net
>>
>
>
>--
> Michael H. Warfield | (770) 985-6132 | mhw at WittsEnd.com
> (The Mad Wizard) | (770) 925-8248 | http://www.wittsend.com/mhw/
> NIC whois: MHW9 | An optimist believes we live in the best of all
> PGP Key: 0xDF1DD471 | possible worlds. A pessimist is sure of it!
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