Using the Pluggable Authentication Module (PAM) on UNIX

The Pluggable Authentication Module (PAM) is a standardized architecture to let third parties carry out authentication requests from applications. PAM allows you to perform OS authentication on UNIX.

This section requires an understanding of the way PAM is configured on your system. The way PAM is configured is different for each UNIX and Linux system and can even differ between versions from the same vendor. It also depends on the security requirements of the system. It is therefore beyond the scope of this documentation to explain the configuration in detail. It is advisable to set up this configuration with the help of an administrator who knows the system configuration and the security requirements of the environment.

As a starting point for learning the basics of PAM, you can consult the following documentation: