Administration Guide › Password Management › Synchronizing Passwords on Endpoints › Passwords on UNIX and Linux › How UNIX PAM Works

How UNIX PAM Works

The following process describes the UNIX PAM feature's functions:

1. A UNIX user's password is to be changed for one of the following reasons:
   • Decision of the user.
   • The user is forced to change the password by system settings or manual intervention.
   • The user's password is changed by an administrator.
2. The new password is submitted to the PAM framework password service.
3. The PAM framework's password service invokes the PAM library to update the local UNIX security files.
4. The PAM framework's password service invokes the UNIX password synchronization module (pam_CA_eta) to notify the Provisioning Server of the password change.
5. The Provisioning Server updates the password of the associated Global User and all accounts associated with the Global User.