1. Introduction

1.1. How this document came to be

When trying to add a number of (mostly unnecessary :) network services to my existing home network, I kept running into the problem of authentication, so I decided to figure out how authentication works on linux systems, write a HOWTO, and call it my senior project. I hope this document helps you understand this often-forgotten, but very important, aspect of system administration.

1.2. New versions

Unitl I get my domain up and running properly, the newest version of this document will be available from http://www.linuxdoc.org/.

1.3. Feedback

Comments, corrections, suggestions, flames, and flying saucer sightings can be sent to petehern@yahoo.com.

1.4. Copyrights and Trademarks

(c) 2000 Peter Hernberg

This manual may be reproduced in whole or in part, without fee, subject to the following restrictions:

1.5. Acknowledgements and Thanks

Thanks to my family for putting up with me for 18 years. Thanks to the Debian folks for making such a sweet distro for me to play with. Thanks to CGR for paying me to be a geek. Thanks to Sandy Harris for his helpful suggestions. Finally, I'd like thank the makers of ramen noodles, because I don't know how I'd live without them.

1.6. Assumptions about the reader

For the purpose of this document, it is assumed that the reader is comfortably with executing commands at the command line and editing text configuration files.