mod_auth_dbm.html revision 924c8dd40352ca7775704a31a7a77ab86dc951b4
2605N/A<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
2605N/A "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
2605N/A
2605N/A<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
2605N/A <head>
2605N/A <meta name="generator" content="HTML Tidy, see www.w3.org" />
2605N/A
2605N/A <title>Apache module mod_auth_dbm</title>
2605N/A </head>
2605N/A <!-- Background white, links blue (unvisited), navy (visited), red (active) -->
2605N/A
2605N/A <body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000" link="#0000FF"
2605N/A vlink="#000080" alink="#FF0000">
2605N/A <!--#include virtual="header.html" -->
2605N/A
2605N/A <h1 align="CENTER">Module mod_auth_dbm</h1>
2605N/A
2605N/A <p>This module provides for user authentication using DBM
2605N/A files.</p>
2605N/A
2605N/A <p><a href="module-dict.html#Status"
2605N/A rel="Help"><strong>Status:</strong></a> Extension<br />
2605N/A <a href="module-dict.html#SourceFile"
2605N/A rel="Help"><strong>Source File:</strong></a>
2605N/A mod_auth_dbm.c<br />
2605N/A <a href="module-dict.html#ModuleIdentifier"
2605N/A rel="Help"><strong>Module Identifier:</strong></a>
2605N/A dbm_auth_module</p>
2605N/A
2605N/A <h2>Summary</h2>
2605N/A
2900N/A <p>This module provides for HTTP Basic Authentication, where
2605N/A the usernames and passwords are stored in DBM type database
2605N/A files. It is an alternative to the plain text password files
2605N/A provided by <a href="mod_auth.html">mod_auth</a> and the
2605N/A Berkely DB password files provided by <a
2605N/A href="mod_auth_db.html">mod_auth_db</a>.</p>
2605N/A
2605N/A <h2>Directives</h2>
2900N/A
2900N/A <ul>
2900N/A <li><a href="#authdbmgroupfile">AuthDBMGroupFile</a></li>
2900N/A
2900N/A <li><a href="#authdbmuserfile">AuthDBMUserFile</a></li>
2900N/A <li><a href="#authdbmtype">AuthDBMType</a></li>
2900N/A
2605N/A <li><a
2605N/A href="#authdbmauthoritative">AuthDBMAuthoritative</a></li>
2605N/A </ul>
2605N/A
2605N/A <p>See also: <a href="core.html#satisfy">Satisfy</a> and <a
2605N/A href="core.html#require">Require</a>.</p>
2605N/A <hr />
2605N/A
2605N/A <h2><a id="authdbmgroupfile"
2605N/A name="authdbmgroupfile">AuthDBMGroupFile</a></h2>
2605N/A <!--%plaintext &lt;?INDEX {\tt AuthDBMGroupFile} directive&gt; -->
2605N/A <a href="directive-dict.html#Syntax"
2605N/A rel="Help"><strong>Syntax:</strong></a> AuthDBMGroupFile
2605N/A <em>file-path</em><br />
2605N/A <a href="directive-dict.html#Context"
2605N/A rel="Help"><strong>Context:</strong></a> directory,
2605N/A .htaccess<br />
2605N/A <a href="directive-dict.html#Override"
2605N/A rel="Help"><strong>Override:</strong></a> AuthConfig<br />
2605N/A <a href="directive-dict.html#Status"
2605N/A rel="Help"><strong>Status:</strong></a> Extension<br />
2605N/A <a href="directive-dict.html#Module"
2605N/A rel="Help"><strong>Module:</strong></a> mod_auth_dbm
2605N/A
2605N/A <p>The AuthDBMGroupFile directive sets the name of a DBM file
2605N/A containing the list of user groups for user authentication.
2605N/A <em>File-path</em> is the absolute path to the group file.</p>
2605N/A
2605N/A <p>The group file is keyed on the username. The value for a
2605N/A user is a comma-separated list of the groups to which the users
2605N/A belongs. There must be no whitespace within the value, and it
2605N/A must never contain any colons.</p>
2605N/A
<p>Security: make sure that the AuthDBMGroupFile is stored
outside the document tree of the web-server; do <em>not</em>
put it in the directory that it protects. Otherwise, clients
will be able to download the AuthDBMGroupFile unless otherwise
protected.</p>
<p>Combining Group and Password DBM files: In some cases it is
easier to manage a single database which contains both the
password and group details for each user. This simplifies any
support programs that need to be written: they now only have to
deal with writing to and locking a single DBM file. This can be
accomplished by first setting the group and password files to
point to the same DBM:</p>
<blockquote>
<code>AuthDBMGroupFile /www/userbase<br />
AuthDBMUserFile /www/userbase</code>
</blockquote>
The key for the single DBM is the username. The value consists
of
<blockquote>
<code>Unix Crypt-ed Password : List of Groups [ : (ignored)
]</code>
</blockquote>
The password section contains the Unix crypt() password as
before. This is followed by a colon and the comma separated
list of groups. Other data may optionally be left in the DBM
file after another colon; it is ignored by the authentication
module. This is what www.telescope.org uses for its combined
password and group database.
<p>See also <a href="core.html#authname">AuthName</a>, <a
href="core.html#authtype">AuthType</a> and <a
href="#authdbmuserfile">AuthDBMUserFile</a>.</p>
<hr />
<h2><a id="authdbmuserfile"
name="authdbmuserfile">AuthDBMUserFile</a></h2>
<!--%plaintext &lt;?INDEX {\tt AuthDBMUserFile} directive&gt; -->
<a href="directive-dict.html#Syntax"
rel="Help"><strong>Syntax:</strong></a> AuthDBMUserFile
<em>file-path</em><br />
<a href="directive-dict.html#Context"
rel="Help"><strong>Context:</strong></a> directory,
.htaccess<br />
<a href="directive-dict.html#Override"
rel="Help"><strong>Override:</strong></a> AuthConfig<br />
<a href="directive-dict.html#Status"
rel="Help"><strong>Status:</strong></a> Extension<br />
<a href="directive-dict.html#Module"
rel="Help"><strong>Module:</strong></a> mod_auth_dbm
<p>The AuthDBMUserFile directive sets the name of a DBM file
containing the list of users and passwords for user
authentication. <em>File-path</em> is the absolute path to the
user file.</p>
<p>The user file is keyed on the username. The value for a user
is the crypt() encrypted password, optionally followed by a
colon and arbitrary data. The colon and the data following it
will be ignored by the server.</p>
<p>Security: make sure that the AuthDBMUserFile is stored
outside the document tree of the web-server; do <em>not</em>
put it in the directory that it protects. Otherwise, clients
will be able to download the AuthDBMUserFile.</p>
<p>Important compatibility note: The implementation of
"dbmopen" in the apache modules reads the string length of the
hashed values from the DBM data structures, rather than relying
upon the string being NULL-appended. Some applications, such as
the Netscape web server, rely upon the string being
NULL-appended, so if you are having trouble using DBM files
interchangeably between applications this may be a part of the
problem.</p>
<p>A perl script called
href="/programs/dbmmanage.html"&gt;dbmmanage is included with
Apache. This program can be used to create and update DBM
format password files for use with this module.</p>
See also <a href="core.html#authname">AuthName</a>, <a
href="core.html#authtype">AuthType</a> and <a
href="#authdbmgroupfile">AuthDBMGroupFile</a>.
<hr />
<h2><a id="authdbmtype"
name="authdbmtype">AuthDBMType</a></h2>
<!--%plaintext &lt;?INDEX {\tt AuthDBMType} directive&gt; -->
<a href="directive-dict.html#Syntax"
rel="Help"><strong>Syntax:</strong></a> AuthDBMType
<em>type of DBM being used</em><br />
<a href="directive-dict.html#Default"
rel="Help"><strong>Default:</strong></a>
<code>AuthDBMType default</code>(which sets it to the default DBM compiled in)<br />
<a href="directive-dict.html#Context"
rel="Help"><strong>Context:</strong></a> directory,
.htaccess<br />
<a href="directive-dict.html#Override"
rel="Help"><strong>Override:</strong></a> AuthConfig<br />
<a href="directive-dict.html#Status"
rel="Help"><strong>Status:</strong></a> Extension<br />
<a href="directive-dict.html#Module"
rel="Help"><strong>Module:</strong></a> mod_auth_dbm
<p>Setting this directive allows the user to change the type of DBM file which holds the user data. Current valid values are (SDBM | GDBM | DB) these may not all be available on your system</p>
<hr />
<h2><a id="authdbmauthoritative"
name="authdbmauthoritative">AuthDBMAuthoritative</a></h2>
<!--%plaintext &lt;?INDEX {\tt AuthDBMAuthoritative} directive&gt; -->
<a href="directive-dict.html#Syntax"
rel="Help"><strong>Syntax:</strong></a> AuthDBMAuthoritative
on|off<br />
<a href="directive-dict.html#Default"
rel="Help"><strong>Default:</strong></a>
<code>AuthDBMAuthoritative on</code><br />
<a href="directive-dict.html#Context"
rel="Help"><strong>Context:</strong></a> directory,
.htaccess<br />
<a href="directive-dict.html#Override"
rel="Help"><strong>Override:</strong></a> AuthConfig<br />
<a href="directive-dict.html#Status"
rel="Help"><strong>Status:</strong></a> Extension<br />
<a href="directive-dict.html#Module"
rel="Help"><strong>Module:</strong></a> mod_auth_dbm
<p>Setting the AuthDBMAuthoritative directive explicitly to
<strong>'off'</strong> allows for both authentication and
authorization to be passed on to lower level modules (as
defined in the <code>Configuration</code> and
<code>modules.c</code> file if there is <strong>no
userID</strong> or <strong>rule</strong> matching the supplied
userID. If there is a userID and/or rule specified; the usual
password and access checks will be applied and a failure will
give an Authorization Required reply.</p>
<p>So if a userID appears in the database of more than one
module; or if a valid <code>Require</code> directive applies to
more than one module; then the first module will verify the
credentials; and no access is passed on; regardless of the
AuthAuthoritative setting.</p>
<p>A common use for this is in conjunction with one of the
basic auth modules; such as <a
href="mod_auth.html"><code>mod_auth.c</code></a>. Whereas this
DBM module supplies the bulk of the user credential checking; a
few (administrator) related accesses fall through to a lower
level with a well protected .htpasswd file.</p>
<p>By default, control is not passed on and an unknown userID
or rule will result in an Authorization Required reply. Not
setting it thus keeps the system secure and forces an NCSA
compliant behaviour.</p>
<p>Security: Do consider the implications of allowing a user to
allow fall-through in his .htaccess file; and verify that this
is really what you want; Generally it is easier to just secure
a single .htpasswd file, than it is to secure a database which
might have more access interfaces.</p>
<p>See also <a href="core.html#authname">AuthName</a>, <a
href="core.html#authtype">AuthType</a> and <a
href="#authdbmgroupfile">AuthDBMGroupFile</a>.</p>
<p><!--#include virtual="footer.html" -->
</p>
</body>
</html>