PAM Slot numbers - trouble understanding the scenario

[Julian Bui <julianbui@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi all,

I'm trying to figure out the options that PAM uses.

One option that caught my eye is the slot number option found in pam_pkcs11.conf, since this sounds like it could possibly help me map devices to session logins on a multi-seat desktop.

Anyway, the documentation reads: "

slot_num=<nr>

Slot-number to use: 1 for the first, 2 for the second and so on. The default value is 0, which means to use the first slot with an available token."

I am confused as to what the slots are.  This documentation/description may seem obvious to you guys, but I do not know what it means.  I am having trouble understanding the hardware setup and the scenario/usecase.  Is this for multiple security devices (like 3 smart card readers, for example) ?  Maybe slot_num=2 means it uses the CAC card in card reader #2 for the login?  Why would this be useful?  How do you assign IDs to the devices?  Maybe I'm completely misinterpreting this option.

Would really appreciate if someone could clarify this for me.

Thanks,
Julian

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