Authentication is the process of identifying an individual, usually based on a username and password. In security systems, authentication is distinct from authorization, which is the process of giving individuals access to system objects based on their identity. Authentication merely ensures that the individual is who he or she claims to be, but says nothing about the access rights of the individual.
FootPrints supports several modes of user/password authentication. Administrators have the option of using FootPrints' internal encryption techniques, in which FootPrints maintains its own database of users and passwords, FootPrints can let the web server perform the authentication, or FootPrints can authenticate by interfacing with either an LDAP directory server or the Windows NT user list on Windows, and UNIX/Linux user list on UNIX systems.
FootPrints supports the following methods of password verification:
Each FootPrints user may be assigned either a primary or secondary authentication method. Only the assigned method is attempted when a user tries to authenticate. If the secondary authentication method selected is None, all FootPrints users are authenticated against the primary authentication method.
If FootPrints authentication is used, any user attempting to access FootPrints must have a unique FootPrints ID and password. If an external authentication method is enabled (Windows NT, UNIX, or LDAP), then authentication is based on the users' network IDs and passwords, but a user ID must still be created within FootPrints for each agent.