December 21, 2007 PAM_GET_ITEM 3

### NAME

pam_get_item - get PAM information

### LIBRARY

### SYNOPSIS

```int` pam_get_item(```const pam_handle_t *pamh``, int item_type``, const void **item`)

### DESCRIPTION

The pam_get_item function stores a pointer to the item specified by the ```item_type` argument in the location specified by the ```item` argument. The item is retrieved from the PAM context specified by the ```pamh` argument. The following item types are recognized:

```PAM_SERVICE`
  The name of the requesting service.

```PAM_USER`
  The name of the user the application is trying to authenticate.

```PAM_TTY`
  The name of the current terminal.

```PAM_RHOST`
  The name of the applicant's host.

```PAM_CONV`
  A describing the current conversation function.

```PAM_AUTHTOK`
  The current authentication token.

```PAM_OLDAUTHTOK`
  The expired authentication token.

```PAM_RUSER`
  The name of the applicant.

```PAM_USER_PROMPT`
  The prompt to use when asking the applicant for a user name to authenticate as.

```PAM_AUTHTOK_PROMPT`
  The prompt to use when asking the applicant for an authentication token.

```PAM_OLDAUTHTOK_PROMPT`
  The prompt to use when asking the applicant for an expired authentication token prior to changing it.

```PAM_SOCKADDR`
  The sockaddr_storage of the applicants's host.

```PAM_NUSER`
  The ``nested'' user if this is a login on top of a previous one.

See pam_start(3) for a description of

### RETURN VALUES

The pam_get_item function returns one of the following values:

[```PAM_SYMBOL_ERR`]
  Invalid symbol.

[```PAM_SYSTEM_ERR`]
  System error.

### SEE ALSO

pam(3), pam_set_item(3), pam_start(3), pam_strerror(3)

### STANDARDS

### AUTHORS

The pam_get_item function and this manual page were developed for the FreeBSD Project by ThinkSec AS and Network Associates Laboratories, the Security Research Division of Network Associates, Inc. under DARPA/SPAWAR contract N66001-01-C-8035 (``CBOSS''), as part of the DARPA CHATS research program.