PAM_SYSTEMD(8) pam_systemd PAM_SYSTEMD(8)
NAME
pam_systemd - Register user sessions in the systemd login manager
SYNOPSIS
pam_systemd.so
DESCRIPTION
pam_systemd registers user sessions with the systemd login manager systemd-logind.service(8), and hence the systemd control group
hierarchy.
On login, this module -- in conjunction with systemd-logind.service -- ensures the following:
1. If it does not exist yet, the user runtime directory /run/user/$UID is either created or mounted as new "tmpfs" file system with quota
applied, and its ownership changed to the user that is logging in.
2. The $XDG_SESSION_ID environment variable is initialized. If auditing is available and pam_loginuid.so was run before this module (which
is highly recommended), the variable is initialized from the auditing session id (/proc/self/sessionid). Otherwise, an independent
session counter is used.
3. A new systemd scope unit is created for the session. If this is the first concurrent session of the user, an implicit per-user slice
unit below user.slice is automatically created and the scope placed into it. An instance of the system service user@.service, which
runs the systemd user manager instance, is started.
On logout, this module ensures the following:
1. If enabled in logind.conf(5) (KillUserProcesses=), all processes of the session are terminated. If the last concurrent session of a
user ends, the user's systemd instance will be terminated too, and so will the user's slice unit.
2. If the last concurrent session of a user ends, the user runtime directory /run/user/$UID and all its contents are removed, too.
If the system was not booted up with systemd as init system, this module does nothing and immediately returns PAM_SUCCESS.
OPTIONS
The following options are understood:
class=
Takes a string argument which sets the session class. The XDG_SESSION_CLASS environmental variable takes precedence. One of "user",
"greeter", "lock-screen" or "background". See sd_session_get_class(3) for details about the session class.
type=
Takes a string argument which sets the session type. The XDG_SESSION_TYPE environmental variable takes precedence. One of
"unspecified", "tty", "x11", "wayland" or "mir". See sd_session_get_type(3) for details about the session type.
debug[=]
Takes an optional boolean argument. If yes or without the argument, the module will log debugging information as it operates.
MODULE TYPES PROVIDED
Only session is provided.
ENVIRONMENT
The following environment variables are set for the processes of the user's session:
$XDG_SESSION_ID
A session identifier, suitable to be used in filenames. The string itself should be considered opaque, although often it is just the
audit session ID as reported by /proc/self/sessionid. Each ID will be assigned only once during machine uptime. It may hence be used to
uniquely label files or other resources of this session.
$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR
Path to a user-private user-writable directory that is bound to the user login time on the machine. It is automatically created the
first time a user logs in and removed on the user's final logout. If a user logs in twice at the same time, both sessions will see the
same $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR and the same contents. If a user logs in once, then logs out again, and logs in again, the directory contents
will have been lost in between, but applications should not rely on this behavior and must be able to deal with stale files. To store
session-private data in this directory, the user should include the value of $XDG_SESSION_ID in the filename. This directory shall be
used for runtime file system objects such as AF_UNIX sockets, FIFOs, PID files and similar. It is guaranteed that this directory is
local and offers the greatest possible file system feature set the operating system provides. For further details, see the XDG Base
Directory Specification[1]. $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR is not set if the current user is not the original user of the session.
The following environment variables are read by the module and may be used by the PAM service to pass metadata to the module:
$XDG_SESSION_TYPE
The session type. This may be used instead of session= on the module parameter line, and is usually preferred.
$XDG_SESSION_CLASS
The session class. This may be used instead of class= on the module parameter line, and is usually preferred.
$XDG_SESSION_DESKTOP
A single, short identifier string for the desktop environment. This may be used to indicate the session desktop used, where this
applies and if this information is available. For example: "GNOME", or "KDE". It is recommended to use the same identifiers and
capitalization as for $XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP, as defined by the Desktop Entry Specification[2]. (However, note that $XDG_SESSION_DESKTOP
only takes a single item, and not a colon-separated list like $XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP.) See sd_session_get_desktop(3) for more details.
$XDG_SEAT
The seat name the session shall be registered for, if any.
$XDG_VTNR
The VT number the session shall be registered for, if any. (Only applies to seats with a VT available, such as "seat0")
EXAMPLE
#%PAM-1.0
auth required pam_unix.so
auth required pam_nologin.so
account required pam_unix.so
password required pam_unix.so
session required pam_unix.so
session required pam_loginuid.so
session required pam_systemd.so
SEE ALSO
systemd(1), systemd-logind.service(8), logind.conf(5), loginctl(1), pam.conf(5), pam.d(5), pam(8), pam_loginuid(8), systemd.scope(5),
systemd.slice(5), systemd.service(5)
NOTES
1. XDG Base Directory Specification
http://standards.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-latest.html
2. Desktop Entry Specification
http://standards.freedesktop.org/desktop-entry-spec/latest/
systemd 237 PAM_SYSTEMD(8)