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 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.