Bug 718034

Summary: trivial pam_cracklib documentation thing
Product: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Reporter: Jon Disnard <jdisnard>
Component: pamAssignee: Tomas Mraz <tmraz>
Status: CLOSED DUPLICATE QA Contact: Dalibor Pospíšil <dapospis>
Severity: low Docs Contact:
Priority: unspecified    
Version: 6.1CC: dapospis
Target Milestone: rc   
Target Release: ---   
Hardware: All   
OS: Unspecified   
Whiteboard:
Fixed In Version: Doc Type: Bug Fix
Doc Text:
Story Points: ---
Clone Of: Environment:
Last Closed: 2014-06-19 13:09:17 UTC Type: ---
Regression: --- Mount Type: ---
Documentation: --- CRM:
Verified Versions: Category: ---
oVirt Team: --- RHEL 7.3 requirements from Atomic Host:
Cloudforms Team: --- Target Upstream Version:
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Description Flags
universal diff - fixes the README none

Description Jon Disnard 2011-06-30 18:46:03 UTC
Created attachment 510736 [details]
universal diff  - fixes the README

Description of problem:
The file "/etc/pam.d/system-auth" contains a line for pam_cracklib:

'password  requisite  pam_cracklib.so try_first_pass retry=3 type='


The last part of the line with 'type=' is not properly documented.
Take a look at pam_cracklib(8), you will NOT find that documented.

You will see something called 'authtok_type=XXX', which is the same as 'type=XXX'.

Tested this!
Both 'type=HURR_DURR' and 'authtok_type=HURR_DURR' cause the passwd program to output the "HURR_DURR" string.


[freaknasty@bluesky ~]$ passwd
Changing password for user freaknasty.
New HURR-DURR password:


It's utterly trivial, but one is documented, and the other is not. Considering this *IS* pam.d, and mistakes can be fatal, I humbly request this be documented.


Research indicates that RHEL 5.6 pam_cracklib(8) manual still documents the 'type=XXX' old-school style. Somewhere along the line the manual page changed.


Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable): rhel6.1


How reproducible: always


Steps to Reproduce:
1. man 8 pam_cracklib
2. vi /etc/pam.d/system-auth
3. 
  
Actual results: depreciated and un-documented features are working. People wondering WTF is 'type='.


Expected results: both are documented, or the depreciated 'type=' is made to not work? 


Additional info:

Let's just update the docs, so people can keep using old pam.d configs.

Attaching a universal diff with my really bad documentation update to the README file. A PRO technical writer should look at this. If however this is found to be acceptable, I'd be happy to make an update to the man page too. Just let me know, I'll attach patches to this BZ.

Comment 2 Suzanne Logcher 2012-02-14 23:10:49 UTC
This request was evaluated by Red Hat Product Management for
inclusion in the current release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Because the affected component is not scheduled to be updated
in the current release, Red Hat is unfortunately unable to
address this request at this time. Red Hat invites you to
ask your support representative to propose this request, if
appropriate and relevant, in the next release of Red Hat
Enterprise Linux. If you would like it considered as an
exception in the current release, please ask your support
representative.

Comment 3 Tomas Mraz 2013-04-12 11:03:05 UTC
*** Bug 883810 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 5 Tomas Mraz 2014-06-19 13:09:17 UTC
I will handle it within the bug 889233.

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of bug 889233 ***