Automatic login

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logiclips@yahoo.com - 24 Nov 2005 00:35 GMT

Hi,

I want to login to my Mac OS automatically by means of an
authentication system (e.g. speech recognition, finger print, etc.).
Is it possible to to run an application which executes the recognition
although only the login screen is seen so that the recognition is
accomplished and with the recognition results the recognized user is
logged in?

Thanks,

Peter Vermeer

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Gregory Weston - 24 Nov 2005 02:48 GMT

> Hi,
>
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> accomplished and with the recognition results the recognized user is
> logged in?

It is possible to write plugins for the authentication mechanism.
There's at least one commercial product that uses a fingerprint reader
as an authenticator. Unfortunately, the little research I've done
suggests that it's poorly documented.

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Simon Slavin - 25 Nov 2005 23:42 GMT

On 23/11/2005, logiclips@yahoo.com wrote in message
<1132792524.563197.172250@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>:

> I want to login to my Mac OS automatically by means of an
> authentication system (e.g. speech recognition, finger print, etc.).
> Is it possible to to run an application which executes the recognition
> although only the login screen is seen so that the recognition is
> accomplished and with the recognition results the recognized user is
> logged in?

What you're trying to do is replace the part of the login sequence, as
certain agencies do. Take a look at the folders near

/System/Library/CoreServices/SecurityAgentPlugins/loginwindow.bundle/Conten
ts/Resources/

for examples.

I think that a good place to start would be

http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Security/Conceptual/Security_Overv
iew/Security_Overview.pdf

I don't think that what you asked for is documented in the publically
available stuff on developer.apple.com .

Beware that experimenting with a computer and this stuff can render it
impossible to log in on that computer without reinstalling the OS. So
test it on a spare if possible.

Simon.

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logiclips@yahoo.com - 27 Nov 2005 22:35 GMT

Thanks for the information.

I will try this. Another way I thought of was running the
authentication application on a server-PC and the server will establish
a connection to the other computer and invoke a login process. Does
anybody know how to do this?

Thanks,

Peter

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Simon Slavin - 29 Nov 2005 18:57 GMT

On 27/11/2005, logiclips@yahoo.com wrote in message
<1133130902.242478.245640@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com>:

> I will try this. Another way I thought of was running the
> authentication application on a server-PC and the server will establish
> a connection to the other computer and invoke a login process. Does
> anybody know how to do this?

Open Directory. Or LDAP. Or some other method of remote authentication.
You're edging into territory handled by OS X Server, which handles remote
authentication for OS X.

So now you need to examine /Applications/Utilities/Directory Access.app ,
yet another set of technologies.

Simon.

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Mac Forum / Programming / Mac Programming / November 2005

Automatic login