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Annotated edit history of getpass(3) version 1 showing authors affecting page license. View with all changes included.
Rev Author # Line
1 perry 1 GETPASS
2 !!!GETPASS
3 NAME
4 SYNOPSIS
5 DESCRIPTION
6 RETURN VALUE
7 ERRORS
8 NOTES
9 FILES
10 SEE ALSO
11 HISTORY
12 BUGS
13 ----
14 !!NAME
15
16
17 getpass - get a password
18 !!SYNOPSIS
19
20
21 __#include __
22
23
24 __char *getpass( const char * prompt );__
25 !!DESCRIPTION
26
27
28 This function is obsolete. Do not use it.
29
30
31 The __getpass__() function opens ''/dev/tty'' (the
32 controlling terminal of the process), outputs the string
33 ''prompt'', turns off echoing, reads one line (the
34 ''/dev/tty'' again.
35 !!RETURN VALUE
36
37
38 The function __getpass__ returns a pointer to a static
39 buffer containing the (first PASS_MAX bytes of) the password
40 without the trailing newline, terminated by a NUL. This
41 buffer may be overwritten by a following call. On error, the
42 terminal state is restored, ''errno'' is set
43 appropriately, and NULL is returned.
44 !!ERRORS
45
46
47 The function may fail if
48
49
50 __ENXIO__
51
52
53 The process does not have a controlling
54 terminal.
55 !!NOTES
56
57
58 For libc4 and libc5, the prompt is not written to
59 ''/dev/tty'' but to ''stderr''. Moreover, if
60 ''/dev/tty'' cannot be opened, the password is read from
61 ''stdin''. The static buffer has length 128 so that only
62 the first 127 bytes of the password are returned. While
63 reading the password, signal generation (SIGINT, SIGQUIT,
64 SIGSTOP, SIGTSTOP) is disabled and the corresponding
65 characters (usually control-C, control-, control-Z and
66 control-Y) are transmitted as part of the password. Since
67 libc 5.4.19 also line editing is disabled, so that also
68 backspace and the like will be seen as part of the
69 password.
70
71
72 For glibc2, if ''/dev/tty'' cannot be opened, the prompt
73 is written to ''stderr'' and the password is read from
74 ''stdin''. There is no limit on the length of the
75 password. Line editing is not disabled.
76
77
78 According to the SUSv2, the value of PASS_MAX must be
79 defined in '''' in case it is smaller
80 than 8, and can in any case be obtained using
81 ''sysconf(_SC_PASS_MAX)''. However, POSIX.2 withdraws the
82 constants PASS_MAX and _SC_PASS_MAX, and the function
83 __getpass ().__ Libc4 and libc5 have never supported
84 PASS_MAX or _SC_PASS_MAX. Glibc2 accepts _SC_PASS_MAX and
85 returns BUFSIZ (e.g., 8192).
86 !!FILES
87
88
89 ''/dev/tty''
90 !!SEE ALSO
91
92
93 crypt(3)
94 !!HISTORY
95
96
97 A __getpass__ function appeared in Version 7 AT
98 __
99 !!BUGS
100
101
102 The calling process should zero the password as soon as
103 possible to avoid leaving the cleartext password visible in
104 the process's address space.
105 ----
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