<refentry xmlns="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook" version="5.0" xml:id="pam_setcred">

  <refmeta>
    <refentrytitle>pam_setcred</refentrytitle>
    <manvolnum>3</manvolnum>
    <refmiscinfo class="source">Linux-PAM</refmiscinfo>
    <refmiscinfo class="manual">Linux-PAM Manual</refmiscinfo>
  </refmeta>

  <refnamediv xml:id="pam_setcred-name">
    <refname>pam_setcred</refname>
    <refpurpose>
       establish / delete user credentials
    </refpurpose>
  </refnamediv>

  <!-- body begins here -->
  <refsynopsisdiv>
    <funcsynopsis xml:id="pam_setcred-synopsis">
      <funcsynopsisinfo>#include &lt;security/pam_appl.h&gt;</funcsynopsisinfo>
      <funcprototype>
        <funcdef>int <function>pam_setcred</function></funcdef>
        <paramdef>pam_handle_t *<parameter>pamh</parameter></paramdef>
        <paramdef>int <parameter>flags</parameter></paramdef>
      </funcprototype>
    </funcsynopsis>
  </refsynopsisdiv>


  <refsect1 xml:id="pam_setcred-description">
    <title>DESCRIPTION</title>
    <para>
      The <function>pam_setcred</function> function is used to establish,
      maintain and delete the credentials of a user. It should be called
      to set the credentials after a user has been authenticated and before
      a session is opened for the user (with
      <citerefentry>
        <refentrytitle>pam_open_session</refentrytitle><manvolnum>3</manvolnum>
       </citerefentry>). The credentials should be deleted after the session
      has been closed (with
      <citerefentry>
        <refentrytitle>pam_close_session</refentrytitle><manvolnum>3</manvolnum>
       </citerefentry>).
     </para>

     <para>
       A credential is something that the user possesses. It is some
       property, such as a <emphasis>Kerberos</emphasis> ticket, or a
       supplementary group membership that make up the uniqueness of a
       given user. On a Linux system the user's <emphasis>UID</emphasis>
       and <emphasis>GID</emphasis>'s are credentials too. However, it
       has been decided that these properties (along with the default
       supplementary groups of which the user is a member) are credentials
       that should be set directly by the application and not by PAM.
       Such credentials should be established, by the application, prior
       to a call to this function.  For example,
       <citerefentry>
         <refentrytitle>initgroups</refentrytitle><manvolnum>2</manvolnum>
       </citerefentry> (or equivalent) should have been performed.
      </para>

      <para>
        Valid <emphasis>flags</emphasis>, any one of which, may be
        logically OR'd with <option>PAM_SILENT</option>, are:
      </para>

      <variablelist>
        <varlistentry>
          <term>PAM_ESTABLISH_CRED</term>
          <listitem>
            <para>Initialize the credentials for the user.</para>
          </listitem>
          </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term>PAM_DELETE_CRED</term>
          <listitem>
            <para>Delete the user's credentials.</para>
          </listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term>PAM_REINITIALIZE_CRED</term>
          <listitem>
            <para>Fully reinitialize the user's credentials.</para>
          </listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term>PAM_REFRESH_CRED</term>
          <listitem>
            <para>Extend the lifetime of the existing credentials.</para>
          </listitem>
        </varlistentry>
      </variablelist>
   </refsect1>

   <refsect1 xml:id="pam_setcred-return_values">
     <title>RETURN VALUES</title>
    <variablelist>
      <varlistentry>
        <term>PAM_BUF_ERR</term>
        <listitem>
           <para>
              Memory buffer error.
          </para>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>
      <varlistentry>
        <term>PAM_CRED_ERR</term>
        <listitem>
           <para>
              Failed to set user credentials.
          </para>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>
      <varlistentry>
        <term>PAM_CRED_EXPIRED</term>
        <listitem>
           <para>
             User credentials are expired.
          </para>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>
      <varlistentry>
        <term>PAM_CRED_UNAVAIL</term>
        <listitem>
           <para>
              Failed to retrieve user credentials.
          </para>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>
      <varlistentry>
        <term>PAM_SUCCESS</term>
        <listitem>
           <para>
             Data was successful stored.
          </para>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>
      <varlistentry>
        <term>PAM_SYSTEM_ERR</term>
        <listitem>
           <para>
             A NULL pointer was submitted as PAM handle, the
             function was called by a module or another system
             error occurred.
          </para>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>
      <varlistentry>
        <term>PAM_USER_UNKNOWN</term>
        <listitem>
           <para>
              User is not known to an authentication module.
          </para>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>

    </variablelist>
  </refsect1>

  <refsect1 xml:id="pam_set_data-see_also">
    <title>SEE ALSO</title>
    <para>
      <citerefentry>
        <refentrytitle>pam_authenticate</refentrytitle><manvolnum>3</manvolnum>
      </citerefentry>,
      <citerefentry>
         <refentrytitle>pam_open_session</refentrytitle><manvolnum>3</manvolnum>
      </citerefentry>,
      <citerefentry>
         <refentrytitle>pam_close_session</refentrytitle><manvolnum>3</manvolnum>
      </citerefentry>,
      <citerefentry>
        <refentrytitle>pam_strerror</refentrytitle><manvolnum>3</manvolnum>
      </citerefentry>
    </para>
  </refsect1>
</refentry>