A comprehensive and practical guide to PAM for Linux: how modules work and how to implement Understand and configure PAM PAM-aware applications Develop and own your PAMs using the API and C How to authenticate users in Active Directory, mount the encrypted home directory, load SSH automatic lock, and limit web services and rsh In Detail PAM-aware applications reduce the complexity of authentication. In addition, PAM is a clear API, and PAM-aware applications will not break if you change the underlying authentication configuration. Originating from Solaris 2.6 ten years ago, PAM is used today by most of the property and free UNIX operating systems, including GNU / Linux, FreeBSD, and Solaris, following good design concepts and practical details. PAM is a modular and flexible authentication management layer that lies between Linux applications and the underlying native authentication system. PAM can be implemented with various applications without having to recompile the applications that specifically support PAM. What you will learn from this book? Using PAM for authentication services in applications that use PAM modules common to various operating systems (pam_mkhomedir, pam_mount, pam_succeed_if, pam_nologin, pam_wheel, pam_access, pam_deny, pam_unix, pam_winbind, pam_ldap, pam_mysql) Testing and debugging your configuration Using PAM PAM and winbind to integrate every Linux / UNIX computers with Microsoft Active Directory Develop own PAM module in C Approach This book provides a practical approach to UNIX / Linux authentication.