# PAM_TIMESTAMP - Authenticate using cached successful authentication at... - man(8) - [phpMan]

[_PAM_TIMESTAMP_(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/PAMTIMESTAMP/8/markdown)                          Linux-PAM Manual                          [_PAM_TIMESTAMP_(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/PAMTIMESTAMP/8/markdown)

## NAME
       pam_timestamp - Authenticate using cached successful authentication attempts

## SYNOPSIS


       **pam_timestamp.so **[timestampdir=_directory_] [timestamp_timeout=_number_] [verbose] [debug]

## DESCRIPTION
       In a nutshell, _pam_timestamp_ caches successful authentication attempts, and allows you to use
       a recent successful attempt as the basis for authentication. This is similar mechanism which
       is used in **sudo**.

       When an application opens a session using _pam_timestamp_, a timestamp file is created in the
       _timestampdir_ directory for the user. When an application attempts to authenticate the user, a
       _pam_timestamp_ will treat a sufficiently recent timestamp file as grounds for succeeding.

## OPTIONS
       timestampdir=directory
           Specify an alternate directory where _pam_timestamp_ creates timestamp files.

       timestamp_timeout=number
           How long should _pam_timestamp_ treat timestamp as valid after their last modification date
           (in seconds). Default is 300 seconds.

       verbose
           Attempt to inform the user when access is granted.

       debug
           Turns on debugging messages sent to [**syslog**(3)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/syslog/3/markdown).

## MODULE TYPES PROVIDED
       The **auth **and **session **module types are provided.

## RETURN VALUES
       PAM_AUTH_ERR
           The module was not able to retrieve the user name or no valid timestamp file was found.

       PAM_SUCCESS
           Everything was successful.

       PAM_SESSION_ERR
           Timestamp file could not be created or updated.

## NOTES
       Users can get confused when they are not always asked for passwords when running a given
       program. Some users reflexively begin typing information before noticing that it is not being
       asked for.

## EXAMPLES
           auth sufficient pam_timestamp.so verbose
           auth required   pam_unix.so

           session required pam_unix.so
           session optional pam_timestamp.so


## FILES
       /var/run/pam_timestamp/...
           timestamp files and directories

## SEE ALSO
       [**pam_timestamp_check**(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/pamtimestampcheck/8/markdown), [**pam.conf**(5)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/pam.conf/5/markdown), [**pam.d**(5)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/pam.d/5/markdown), [**pam**(7)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/pam/7/markdown)

## AUTHOR
       pam_timestamp was written by Nalin Dahyabhai.

Linux-PAM                                    05/07/2023                             [_PAM_TIMESTAMP_(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/PAMTIMESTAMP/8/markdown)