PAM_START(3)		Application Programmers Manual		 PAM_START(3)



NAME
       pam_start, pam_end - activating Linux-PAM

SYNOPSIS
       #include 

       int  pam_start(const  char  *service,  const  char  *user, const struct
       pam_conv *conv, pam_handle_t **pamh_p);

       int pam_end(pam_handle_t *pamh, int pam_status);



DESCRIPTION
       pam_start
	      Initialize the Linux-PAM library.  Identifying  the  application
	      with a particular service name.  The username can take the value
	      NULL, if not known at the time  the  interface  is  initialized.
	      The conversation structure is passed to the library via the conv
	      argument.  (For a complete description of this and other	struc
	      tures  the  reader  is  directed	to  the more verbose Linux-PAM
	      application developers guide).  Upon successful initialization,
	      an  opaque  pointer-handle  for  future access to the library is
	      returned through the contents of the pamh_p pointer.


       pam_end
	      Terminate the Linux-PAM library.	The service application  asso
	      ciated  with  the  pamh  handle,	is  terminated.  The argument,
	      pam_status, passes the  value  most  recently  returned  to  the
	      application  from  the library; it indicates the manner in which
	      the library should  be  shutdown.   Besides  carrying  a	return
	      value,  this argument may be logically ORd with PAM_DATA_SILENT
	      to indicate that the module should not treat the call too  seri
	      ously. It is generally used to indicate that the current closing
	      of the library is in a fork(2)ed process, and  that  the	parent
	      will  take  care of cleaning up things that exist outside of the
	      current process space (files etc.).


RETURN VALUE
       pam_start

       pam_end
	      On success, PAM_SUCCESS is returned


ERRORS
       May be translated to text with pam_strerror(3).


CONFORMING TO
       DCE-RFC 86.0, October 1995.

       Note, the PAM_DATA_SILENT flag is pending acceptance with the  DCE  (as
       of 1996/12/4).


BUGS
       None known.


SEE ALSO
       fork(2),  pam_authenticate(3),  pam_acct_mgmt(3),  pam_open_session(3),
       and pam_chauthtok(3).

       Also, see the three Linux-PAM Guides, for System administrators, module
       developers, and application developers.



Linux-PAM 0.56			  1997 Feb 15			  PAM_START(3)