How to Initiate PAM Error Reporting

1. Edit the /etc/syslog.conf to add any of the following PAM error reporting entries:

   • auth.alert -- messages about conditions that should be fixed immediately

   • auth.crit -- critical messages

   • auth.err -- error messages

   • auth.info -- informational messages

   • auth.debug -- debugging messages

2. Restart the syslog daemon or send a SIGHUP signal to it to activate the PAM error reporting.

Example--Initiating PAM Error Reporting

The example below displays all alert messages on the console. Critical messages are mailed to root. Informational and debug messages are added to the /var/log/pamlog file.

auth.alert	/dev/console
auth.crit	'root'
auth.info;auth.debug	/var/log/pamlog

Each line in the log contains a time stamp, the name of the system that generated the message, and the message itself. The pamlog file is capable of logging a large amount of information.