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LOGIN_CAP(3)	       FreeBSD Library Functions Manual		  LOGIN_CAP(3)

NAME
     login_close, login_getcapbool, login_getcaplist, login_getcapnum,
     login_getcapstr, login_getcapsize,	login_getcaptime, login_getclass,
     login_getclassbyname, login_getpwclass, login_getstyle,
     login_getuserclass, login_setcryptfmt -- functions	for accessing the lo-
     gin class capabilities database

LIBRARY
     System Utilities Library (libutil,	-lutil)

SYNOPSIS
     #include <sys/types.h>
     #include <login_cap.h>

     void
     login_close(login_cap_t *lc);

     login_cap_t *
     login_getclassbyname(const	char *nam, const struct	passwd *pwd);

     login_cap_t *
     login_getclass(const char *nam);

     login_cap_t *
     login_getpwclass(const struct passwd *pwd);

     login_cap_t *
     login_getuserclass(const struct passwd *pwd);

     const char	*
     login_getcapstr(login_cap_t *lc, const char *cap, const char *def,
	 const char *error);

     const char	**
     login_getcaplist(login_cap_t *lc, const char *cap,	const char *chars);

     const char	*
     login_getpath(login_cap_t *lc, const char *cap, const char	*error);

     rlim_t
     login_getcaptime(login_cap_t *lc, const char *cap,	rlim_t def,
	 rlim_t	error);

     rlim_t
     login_getcapnum(login_cap_t *lc, const char *cap, rlim_t def,
	 rlim_t	error);

     rlim_t
     login_getcapsize(login_cap_t *lc, const char *cap,	rlim_t def,
	 rlim_t	error);

     int
     login_getcapbool(login_cap_t *lc, const char *cap,	int def);

     const char	*
     login_getstyle(login_cap_t	*lc, const char	*style,	const char *auth);

     const char	*
     login_setcryptfmt(login_cap_t *lc,	const char *def, const char *error);

DESCRIPTION
     These functions represent a programming interface to the login classes
     database provided in login.conf(5).  This database	contains capabilities,
     attributes	and default environment	and accounting settings	for users and
     programs running as specific users, as determined by the login class
     field within entries in /etc/master.passwd.

     Entries in	login.conf(5) consist of colon `:' separated fields, the first
     field in each record being	one or more identifiers	for the	record (which
     must be unique for	the entire database), each separated by	a `|', and may
     optionally	include	a description as the last `name'.  Remaining fields in
     the record	consist	of keyword/data	pairs.	Long lines may be continued
     with a backslash within empty entries, with the second and	subsequent
     lines optionally indented for readability.	 This is similar to the	format
     used in termcap(5), except	that keywords are not limited to two signifi-
     cant characters, and are usually longer for improved readability.	As
     with termcap entries, multiple records can	be linked together (one	record
     including another)	using a	field containing `tc=_recordid_'.  The result
     is	that the entire	record referenced by _recordid_	replaces the tc= field
     at	the point at which it occurs.  See getcap(3) for further details on
     the format	and use	of a capabilities database.

     The login_cap interface provides a	convenient means of retrieving login
     class records with	all tc=	references expanded.  A	program	will typically
     call one of login_getclass(), login_getpwclass(), login_getuserclass() or
     login_getclassbyname() according to its requirements.  Each of these
     functions returns a login capabilities structure, login_cap_t, which may
     subsequently be used to interrogate the database for specific values us-
     ing the rest of the API.  Once the	login_cap_t is of no further use, the
     login_close() function should be called to	free all resources used.

     The structure of login_cap_t is defined in	<login_cap.h>, as:

	   typedef struct {
		   char	*lc_class;
		   char	*lc_cap;
		   char	*lc_style;
	   } login_cap_t;

     The lc_class member contains a pointer to the name	of the login class re-
     trieved.  This may	not necessarily	be the same as the one requested, ei-
     ther directly via login_getclassbyname(), or indirectly via a user's lo-
     gin record	using login_getpwclass(), by class name	using
     login_getclass().	If the referenced user has no login class specified in
     /etc/master.passwd, the class name	is NULL	or an empty string.  If	the
     class specified does not exist in the database, each of these functions
     will search for a record with an id of `default', with that name returned
     in	the lc_class field.  In	addition, if the referenced user has a UID of
     0 (normally, `root', although the user name is not	considered) then
     login_getpwclass()	will search for	a record with an id of `root' before
     it	searches for the record	with the id of `default'.

     The lc_cap	field is used internally by the	library	to contain the ex-
     panded login capabilities record.	Programs with unusual requirements may
     wish to use this with the lower-level getcap() style functions to access
     the record	directly.

     The lc_style field	is set by the login_getstyle() function	to the autho-
     risation style, according to the requirements of the program handling a
     login itself.

     The login_getclassbyname()	function is the	basic means to get a
     login_cap_t object.  It accepts two arguments: the	first one, name, is
     the record	identifier of the record to be retrieved; the second, pwd, is
     an	optional pointer to a passwd structure.	 First of all, its arguments
     are used by the function to choose	between	system and user	modes of oper-
     ation.  When in system mode, only the system login	class database is
     used.  When in user mode, the supplemental	login class database in	the
     user's home directory is allowed to override settings from	the system
     database in a limited way as noted	below.	To minimize security implica-
     tions, user mode is entered by login_getclassbyname() if and only if name
     is	LOGIN_MECLASS (`me') and pwd is	not NULL.  Otherwise system mode is
     chosen.

     In	system mode, any record	in the system database /etc/login.conf can be
     accessed, and a fallback to the default record is provided	as follows.
     If	name is	NULL, an empty string, or a class that does not	exist in the
     login class database, then	the LOGIN_DEFCLASS record (`default') is re-
     turned instead.

     In	user mode, only	the LOGIN_MECLASS record (`me')	is accessed and	no
     fallback to the `default' record is provided.  The	directory specified by
     pwd-_pw_dir is searched for a login database file called .login_conf, and
     only the `me' capability record contained within it may override the sys-
     tem record	with the same name while other records are ignored.  Using
     this scheme, an application can explicitly	allow users to override	a se-
     lected subset of login settings.  To do so, the application should	obtain
     two login_cap_t objects, one in user mode and the other in	system mode,
     and then query the	user object before the system object for login parame-
     ters that are allowed to be overridden by the user.  For example, the
     user's .login_conf	can provide a convenient way for a user	to set up
     their preferred login environment before the shell	is invoked on login if
     supported by login(1).

     Note that access to the /etc/login.conf and .login_conf files will	only
     be	performed subject to the security checks documented in _secure_path(3)
     for the uids 0 and	pwd-_pw_uid respectively.

     If	the specified record is	NULL, empty or does not	exist, and the system
     has no `default' record available to fall back to,	there is a memory al-
     location error or for some	reason cgetent(3) is unable to access the lo-
     gin capabilities database,	this function returns NULL.

     The functions login_getclass(), login_getpwclass()	and
     login_getuserclass() retrieve the applicable login	class record for the
     user's passwd entry or class name by calling login_getclassbyname().  On
     failure, NULL is returned.	 The difference	between	these functions	is
     that login_getuserclass() includes	the user's overriding .login_conf that
     exists in the user's home directory, and login_getpwclass() and
     login_getclass() restrict lookup only to the system login class database
     in	/etc/login.conf.  As explained earlier,	login_getpwclass() differs
     from login_getclass() in that it allows the default class for a super-
     user as `root' if none has	been specified in the password database.  Oth-
     erwise, if	the passwd pointer is NULL, or the user	record has no login
     class, then the system `default' entry is retrieved.  Essentially,
     login_getclass(name) is equivalent	to login_getclassbyname(name, NULL)
     and login_getuserclass(pwd) to login_getclassbyname(LOGIN_MECLASS,	pwd).

     Once a program no longer wishes to	use a login_cap_t object,
     login_close() may be called to free all resources used by the login
     class.  The login_close() function	may be passed a	NULL pointer with no
     harmful side-effects.

     The remaining functions may be used to retrieve individual	capability
     records.  Each function takes a login_cap_t object	as its first parame-
     ter, a capability tag as the second, and remaining	parameters being de-
     fault and error values that are returned if the capability	is not found.
     The type of the additional	parameters passed and returned depend on the
     type of capability	each deals with, be it a simple	string,	a list,	a time
     value, a file or memory size value, a path	(consisting of a colon-sepa-
     rated list	of directories)	or a boolean flag.  The	manpage	for
     login.conf(5) deals in specific tags and their type.

     Note that with all	functions in this group, you should not	call free(3)
     on	any pointers returned.	Memory allocated during	retrieval or process-
     ing of capability tags is automatically reused by subsequent calls	to
     functions in this group, or deallocated on	calling	login_close().

     login_getcapstr()	 This function returns a simple	string capability.  If
			 the string is not found, then the value in def	is re-
			 turned	as the default value, or if an error occurs,
			 the value in the error	parameter is returned.

     login_getcaplist()	 This function returns the value corresponding to the
			 named capability tag as a list	of values in a NULL
			 terminated array.  Within the login class database,
			 some tags are of type list, which consist of one or
			 more comma- or	space separated	values.	 Usually, this
			 function is not called	directly from an application,
			 but is	used indirectly	via login_getstyle().

     login_getpath()	 This function returns a list of directories separated
			 by colons `:'.	 Capability tags for which this	func-
			 tion is called	consist	of a list of directories sepa-
			 rated by spaces.

     login_getcaptime()	 This function returns a time value associated with a
			 particular capability tag with	the value expressed in
			 seconds (the default),	minutes, hours,	days, weeks or
			 (365 day) years or any	combination of these.  A suf-
			 fix determines	the units used:	`S' for	seconds, `M'
			 for minutes, `H' for hours, `D' for days, `W' for
			 weeks and `Y' for 365 day years.  Case	of the units
			 suffix	is ignored.

			 Time values are normally used for setting resource,
			 accounting and	session	limits.	 If supported by the
			 operating system and compiler (which is true of
			 FreeBSD), the value returned is a quad	(long long),
			 of type rlim_t.  A value `inf'	or `infinity' may be
			 used to express an infinite value, in which case
			 RLIM_INFINITY is returned.

     login_getcapnum()	 This function returns a numeric value for a tag, ex-
			 pressed either	as `tag=<value>' or the	standard
			 cgetnum() format `tag#<value>'.  The first format
			 should	be used	in preference to the second, the sec-
			 ond format is provided	for compatibility and consis-
			 tency with the	getcap(3) database format where	nu-
			 meric types use the `#' as the	delimiter for numeric
			 values.  If in	the first format, then the value given
			 may be	`inf' or `infinity' which results in a return
			 value of RLIM_INFINITY.  If the given capability tag
			 cannot	be found, the def parameter is returned, and
			 if an error occurs, the error parameter is returned.

     login_getcapsize()	 login_getcapsize() returns a value representing a
			 size (typically, file or memory) which	may be ex-
			 pressed as bytes (the default), 512 byte blocks,
			 kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, and on systems that
			 support the long long type, terabytes.	 The suffix
			 used determines the units, and	multiple values	and
			 units may be used in combination (e.g.	1m500k = 1.5
			 megabytes).  A	value with no suffix is	interpreted as
			 bytes,	`B' as 512-byte	blocks,	`K' as kilobytes, `M'
			 as megabytes, `G' as gigabytes	and `T'	as terabytes.
			 Case is ignored.  The error value is returned if
			 there is a login capabilities database	error, if an
			 invalid suffix	is used, or if a numeric value cannot
			 be interpreted.

     login_getcapbool()	 This function returns a boolean value tied to a par-
			 ticular flag.	It returns 0 if	the given capability
			 tag is	not present or is negated by the presence of a
			 `tag@'	(see getcap(3) for more	information on boolean
			 flags), and returns 1 if the tag is found.

     login_getstyle()	 This function is used by the login authorisation sys-
			 tem to	determine the style of login available in a
			 particular case.  The function	accepts	three parame-
			 ters, the lc entry itself and two optional parame-
			 ters, and authorisation type auth and style, and ap-
			 plies these to	determine the authorisation style that
			 best suites these rules.

			 o   If	auth is	neither	NULL nor an empty string, look
			     for a tag of type `auth-_auth_' in	the capability
			     record.  If not present, then look	for the	de-
			     fault tag auth=.

			 o   If	no valid authorisation list was	found from the
			     previous step, then default to `passwd' as	the
			     authorisation list.

			 o   If	style is not NULL or empty, look for it	in the
			     list of authorisation methods found from the pre-
			     vious step.  If style is NULL or an empty string,
			     then default to `passwd' authorisation.

			 o   If	style is found in the chosen list of authori-
			     sation methods, then return that, otherwise re-
			     turn NULL.

			 This scheme allows the	administrator to determine the
			 types of authorisation	methods	accepted by the	sys-
			 tem, depending	on the means by	which the access oc-
			 curs.	For example, the administrator may require
			 skey or kerberos as the authentication	method used
			 for access to the system via the network, and stan-
			 dard methods via direct dialup	or console logins,
			 significantly reducing	the risk of password discovery
			 by "snooping" network packets.

     login_setcryptfmt()
			 The login_setcryptfmt() function is used to set the
			 crypt(3) format using the passwd_format configuration
			 entry.	 If no entry is	found, def is taken to be used
			 as the	fallback.  If calling crypt_set_format(3) on
			 the specifier fails, error is returned	to indicate
			 this.

SEE ALSO
     login(1), crypt(3), getcap(3), login_class(3), login.conf(5), termcap(5)

HISTORY
     The functions login_close(), login_getcapbool(), login_getcaplist(),
     login_getcapnum(),	login_getcapstr(), login_getcapsize(),
     login_getcaptime(), login_getclass(), login_getclassbyname(),
     login_getpwclass(), login_getstyle(), login_getuserclass()	and
     login_setcryptfmt() first appeared	in FreeBSD 2.1.5.

FreeBSD	13.0			 May 10, 2020			  FreeBSD 13.0

NAME | LIBRARY | SYNOPSIS | DESCRIPTION | SEE ALSO | HISTORY

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