pluggable authentication module

1 definition found

pluggable authentication module - Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (26 May 2007) :

  Pluggable Authentication Module
  PAM
  
     <security> (PAM) The new industry standard integrated login
     framework.  PAM is used by system entry components, such as
     the Common Desktop Environment's dtlogin, to authenticate
     users logging into a Unix system.  It provides pluggability
     for a variety of system-entry services.  PAM's ability to
     stack authentication modules can be used to integrate
     login with different authentication mechanisms such as
     RSA, DCE and Kerberos, and thus unify login mechanisms.
     PAM can also integrate smart card authentication.
  
     White paper (http://gr.osf.org/book/psm-wppr.htm).
  
     [OSF-RFC 86.0 V. Samar, R. Schemers, "Unified Login with
     Pluggable Authentication Modules (PAM)", Oct 1995].
  
     (1997-07-18)