2
.\" Title: systemd-ask-password
3
.\" Author: Lennart Poettering <lennart@poettering.net>
4
.\" Generator: DocBook XSL Stylesheets v1.77.1 <http://docbook.sf.net/>
6
.\" Manual: systemd-ask-password
10
.TH "SYSTEMD\-ASK\-PASSWO" "1" "" "systemd" "systemd-ask-password"
11
.\" -----------------------------------------------------------------
12
.\" * Define some portability stuff
13
.\" -----------------------------------------------------------------
14
.\" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
15
.\" http://bugs.debian.org/507673
16
.\" http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/groff/2009-02/msg00013.html
17
.\" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
20
.\" -----------------------------------------------------------------
21
.\" * set default formatting
22
.\" -----------------------------------------------------------------
23
.\" disable hyphenation
25
.\" disable justification (adjust text to left margin only)
27
.\" -----------------------------------------------------------------
28
.\" * MAIN CONTENT STARTS HERE *
29
.\" -----------------------------------------------------------------
31
systemd-ask-password \- Query the user for a system password
33
.HP \w'\fBsystemd\-ask\-password\ \fR\fB[OPTIONS...]\fR\fB\ \fR\fB[MESSAGE]\fR\ 'u
34
\fBsystemd\-ask\-password \fR\fB[OPTIONS...]\fR\fB \fR\fB[MESSAGE]\fR
37
\fBsystemd\-ask\-password\fR
38
may be used to query a system password or passphrase from the user, using a question message specified on the command line\&. When run from a TTY it will query a password on the TTY and print it to STDOUT\&. When run with no TTY or with
40
it will query the password system\-wide and allow active users to respond via several agents\&. The latter is only available to privileged processes\&.
42
The purpose of this tool is to query system\-wide passwords \-\- that is passwords not attached to a specific user account\&. Examples include: unlocking encrypted hard disks when they are plugged in or at boot, entering an SSL certificate passphrase for web and VPN servers\&.
44
Existing agents are: a boot\-time password agent asking the user for passwords using Plymouth; a boot\-time password agent querying the user directly on the console; an agent requesting password input via a
46
message; an agent suitable for running in a GNOME session; a command line agent which can be started temporarily to process queued password requests; a TTY agent that is temporarily spawned during
50
Additional password agents may be implemented according to the
51
\m[blue]\fBsystemd Password Agent Specification\fR\m[]\&\s-2\u[1]\d\s+2\&.
53
If a password is queried on a TTY the user may press TAB to hide the asterisks normally shown for each character typed\&. Pressing Backspace as first key achieves the same effect\&.
56
The following options are understood:
58
\fB\-h\fR, \fB\-\-help\fR
60
Prints a short help text and exits\&.
65
Specify an icon name alongside the password query, which may be used in all agents supporting graphical display\&. The icon name should follow the
66
\m[blue]\fBXDG Icon Naming Specification\fR\m[]\&\s-2\u[2]\d\s+2\&.
71
Specify the query timeout in seconds\&. Defaults to 90s\&. A timeout of 0 waits indefinitely\&.
76
Never ask for password on current TTY even if one is available\&. Always use agent system\&.
79
\fB\-\-accept\-cached\fR
81
If passed accept cached passwords, i\&.e\&. passwords previously typed in\&.
86
When used in conjunction with
87
\fB\-\-accept\-cached\fR
88
accept multiple passwords\&. This will output one password per line\&.
92
On success 0 is returned, a non\-zero failure code otherwise\&.
102
systemd Password Agent Specification
104
\%http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/systemd/PasswordAgents
107
XDG Icon Naming Specification
109
\%http://standards.freedesktop.org/icon-naming-spec/icon-naming-spec-latest.html