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<H1 ALIGN="CENTER">Module mod_auth_db</H1>
<p>This module provides for user authentication using Berkeley DB
files. </p>
<P><A
HREF="module-dict.html#Status"
REL="Help"
><STRONG>Status:</STRONG></A> Extension
<BR>
<A
HREF="module-dict.html#SourceFile"
REL="Help"
><STRONG>Source File:</STRONG></A> mod_auth_db.c
<BR>
<A
HREF="module-dict.html#ModuleIdentifier"
REL="Help"
><STRONG>Module Identifier:</STRONG></A> db_auth_module
</P>
<h2>Summary</h2>
<p>This module provides an alternative to <A
HREF="mod_auth_dbm.html">DBM</A> files for those systems which support
DB and not DBM. It is only available in Apache 1.1 and later.</p>
<p>On some BSD systems (<EM>e.g.</EM>, FreeBSD and NetBSD) dbm is
automatically mapped to Berkeley DB. You can use either <A
HREF="mod_auth_dbm.html">mod_auth_dbm</A> or mod_auth_db. The latter
makes it more obvious that it's Berkeley DB. On other platforms where
you want to use the DB library you usually have to install it
first. See <A
HREF="http://www.sleepycat.com/">http://www.sleepycat.com/</A> for the
distribution. The interface this module uses is the one from DB
version 1.85 and 1.86, but DB version 2.x can also be used when
compatibility mode is enabled.</p>
<h2>Directives</h2>
<UL>
<LI><A HREF="#authdbgroupfile">AuthDBGroupFile</A>
<LI><A HREF="#authdbuserfile">AuthDBUserFile</A>
<LI><A HREF="#authdbauthoritative">AuthDBAuthoritative</A>
</UL>
<p>See also: <a href="core.html#satisfy">satisfy</a> and
<a href="core.html#require">require</a>.</p>
<HR>
<H2><A NAME="authdbgroupfile">AuthDBGroupFile directive</A></H2>
<!--%plaintext &lt;?INDEX {\tt AuthDBGroupFile} directive&gt; -->
<A
HREF="directive-dict.html#Syntax"
REL="Help"
><STRONG>Syntax:</STRONG></A> AuthDBGroupFile <EM>filename</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_db<P>
The AuthDBGroupFile directive sets the name of a DB file containing the list
of user groups for user authentication. <EM>Filename</EM> is the absolute path
to the group file.<P>
The group file is keyed on the username. The value for a user is a
comma-separated list of the groups to which the users belongs. There must
be no whitespace within the value, and it must never contain any colons.<P>
Security: make sure that the AuthDBGroupFile 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
AuthDBGroupFile unless otherwise protected.<P>
Combining Group and Password DB 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 DB file:<P>
<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE>
AuthDBGroupFile /www/userbase<BR>
AuthDBUserFile /www/userbase
</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE>
The key for the single DB record is the username. The value consists of <P>
<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 DB file after another colon; it is ignored by the
authentication module. <P>
See also <A HREF="core.html#authname">AuthName</A>,
<A HREF="core.html#authtype">AuthType</A> and
<A HREF="#authdbuserfile">AuthDBUserFile</A>.<P><HR>
<H2><A NAME="authdbuserfile">AuthDBUserFile</A> directive</H2>
<!--%plaintext &lt;?INDEX {\tt AuthDBUserFile} directive&gt; -->
<A
HREF="directive-dict.html#Syntax"
REL="Help"
><STRONG>Syntax:</STRONG></A> AuthDBUserFile <EM>filename</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_db<P>
The AuthDBUserFile directive sets the name of a DB file containing the list
of users and passwords for user authentication. <EM>Filename</EM> is the
absolute path to the user file.<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>
Security: make sure that the AuthDBUserFile 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
AuthDBUserFile.<P>
Important compatibility note: The implementation of "dbmopen" in the
apache modules reads the string length of the hashed values from the
DB 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 DB files interchangeably between applications this may be a
part of the problem. <P>
<p>A perl script called
href="../programs/dbmmanage.html">dbmmanage</a> is included with
Apache. This program can be used to create and update DB 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="#authdbgroupfile">AuthDBGroupFile</A>.<P>
<HR>
<H2><A NAME="authdbauthoritative">AuthDBAuthoritative</A> directive</H2>
<!--%plaintext &lt;?INDEX {\tt AuthDBAuthoritative} directive&gt; -->
<A
HREF="directive-dict.html#Syntax"
REL="Help"
><STRONG>Syntax:</STRONG></A> AuthDBAuthoritative on|off<BR>
<A
HREF="directive-dict.html#Default"
REL="Help"
><STRONG>Default:</STRONG></A> <CODE>AuthDBAuthoritative 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> Base<BR>
<A
HREF="directive-dict.html#Module"
REL="Help"
><STRONG>Module:</STRONG></A> mod_auth<P>
Setting the AuthDBAuthoritative 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>
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>
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 DB 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>
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>
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>
See also <A HREF="core.html#authname">AuthName</A>,
<A HREF="core.html#authtype">AuthType</A> and
<A HREF="#authdbgroupfile">AuthDBGroupFile</A>.<P>
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