<refnamediv>
<refname>pam_systemd_home</refname>
- <refpurpose>Automatically mount home directories managed by <filename>systemd-homed.service</filename> on
- login, and unmount them on logout</refpurpose>
+ <refpurpose>Authenticate users and mount home directories via <filename>systemd-homed.service</filename>
+ </refpurpose>
</refnamediv>
<refsynopsisdiv>
<para><command>pam_systemd_home</command> ensures that home directories managed by
<citerefentry><refentrytitle>systemd-homed.service</refentrytitle><manvolnum>8</manvolnum></citerefentry>
are automatically activated (mounted) on user login, and are deactivated (unmounted) when the last
- session of the user ends.</para>
+ session of the user ends. For such users, it also provides authentication (when per-user disk encryption
+ is used, the disk encryption key is derived from the authentication credential supplied at login time),
+ account management (the <ulink url="https://systemd.io/USER_RECORD/">JSON user record</ulink> embedded in
+ the home store contains account details), and implements the updating of the encryption password (which
+ is also used for user authentication).</para>
</refsect1>
<refsect1>
<refsect1>
<title>Module Types Provided</title>
- <para>The module implements all four PAM operations: <option>auth</option> (reason: when per-user
- disk encryption is used, the disk encryption key is derived from the authentication credential supplied
- at login time), <option>account</option> (reason: <filename>systemd-homed.service</filename> account
- validity may be configured in more detail than in the traditional Linux user database, and thus needs to
- be verified separately), <option>session</option> (user sessions must be tracked, in order to implement
- automatic release when the last session of a managed user is gone), <option>password</option> (user
- passwords may be changed through PAM).</para>
+ <para>The module implements all four PAM operations: <option>auth</option> (reason: to allow
+ authentication using the encrypted data), <option>account</option> (reason: users with
+ <filename>systemd-homed.service</filename> user accounts are described in a <ulink
+ url="https://systemd.io/USER_RECORD/">JSON user record</ulink> and may be configured in more detail than
+ in the traditional Linux user database), <option>session</option> (user sessions must be tracked in order
+ to implement automatic release when the last session of the user is gone), <option>password</option> (to
+ change the encryption password — also used for user authentication — through PAM).</para>
</refsect1>
<refsect1>