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https://github.com/RogueScholar/fingerprint-gui

Use fingerprint readers with a Linux desktop environment
https://github.com/RogueScholar/fingerprint-gui

biometric-authentication biometrics fingerprint fingerprint-authentication fingerprint-data fingerprint-gui fingerprint-readers fingerprint-recognition fingerprint-scanner fingerprint-sensor pam pam-authentication pam-module

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Use fingerprint readers with a Linux desktop environment

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README 

        
# Fingerprint GUI



Fingerprint GUI is an application providing fingerprint-based authentication on

Linux desktops. Based on the libfprint library, it features a simple GUI for

fingerprint management and a PAM module. Additionally, you may install the

bundled non-free libbsapi library, in which case Fingerprint GUI will

automatically support all fingerprint readers manufactured by UPEK, Inc.



## Supported hardware



The list of fingerprint readers supported by libfprint is available

[here](https://fprint.freedesktop.org/supported-devices.html).



If you install the libbsapi library, then all hardware by UPEK should be

supported as well.



## Compilation



### Prepare the build environment



This project is built using the Qt 5 development framework. The required

packages can be installed on any recent Debian-based Linux distributions with

the command:



```bash

sudo apt install -y qtbase5-dev libqt5core5a qt5ct qt5-qmake qtchooser \

qttranslations5-l10n qtbase5-dev-tools qttools5-dev-tools libqt5x11extras5-dev \

  qttools5-dev

```



### Install dependencies



In order to compile the software you will need cmake and the development

packages for libfprint, libqca-qt5-2, libfakekey, libusb-1.0, libpolkit-qt5-1

and libpam.



If you are running a recent Debian-based distribution, use the following

command:



```bash

sudo apt install -y cmake cmake-extras libfprint-dev libqca-qt5-2-dev \

libfakekey-dev libusb-1.0-0-dev libpolkit-qt5-1-dev libpam0g-dev

```



### Create the build directory



```bash

mkdir build && cd build

```



### Generate the Makefile



```bash

cmake ..

```



#### Installation paths



By default, everything gets installed under `/usr/local/`. If you want to change

the prefix to `/usr/`, you can alter the cmake invocation like this:



```bash

cmake -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr ..

```



Additionally, libraries are installed into

`$CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX/$CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR`, helper executables go into

`$CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX/$CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBEXECDIR`, and the PAM module is

installed into `$CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR/security`. The default value for both

`$CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR` and `$CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBEXECDIR` is `/lib`, which should

be suitable for most Linux distributions.



However, should you need to adjust the value of these two variables, you can set

them in the same way as `$CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX` above. For instance, on recent

64-bit Fedora systems you would invoke cmake like this:



```bash

cmake -DCMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR=/lib64 -DCMAKE_INSTALL_LIBEXECDIR=/libexec ..

```



or with



```bash

cmake -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr -DCMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR=/lib64 \

-DCMAKE_INSTALL_LIBEXECDIR=/libexec ..

```



if you want to install into `/usr`.



### Build the software



```bash

make -j$(nproc)

```



### Install the compiled software



```bash

sudo make install

```



### Add support for UPEK readers (install the bundled proprietary library `libbsapi`)



```bash

sudo make install-upek

```



### Upgrading from older versions



Beginning with version 1.07 of Fingerprint GUI, the ownership and permissions of

users' fingerprint data in `/var/lib/fingerprint-gui/` has been changed. To

apply the new ownership and permissions needed for version 1.07 and above to

fingerprint data from an older version, run:



```bash

sudo make user-data

```



## Account membership



Please note that every user that wants to use this library must be member of

group `plugdev`. This group is created automatically. The following command will

add your current user account to the `plugdev` group:



```bash

sudo usermod -a -G plugdev $(id -un)

```



## PAM configuration



See the following guides for instructions on how to modify your PAM stack to

enable fingerprint-based authentication:



- [Fingerprint GUI Step-By-Step Manual](http://www.ullrich-online.cc/fingerprint/doc/Step-by-step-manual.html#idp34500608)

- [ArchWiki](https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Fingerprint_GUI)

- [ThinkWiki](http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/How_to_enable_the_integrated_fingerprint_reader)



### lxdm / Lubuntu



The lxdm developers should read the PAM documentation, specifically the "Linux

PAM Application Developers Guide" located [here](http://uw714doc.sco.com/en/SEC_pam/pam_appl.html). Because of the completely

improper use of PAM authentication in lxdm it is not possible to use

alternative authentication methods.



If you want to use fingerprint login for Lubuntu or other lxdm desktop

environments you should install lightdm and lightdm-gtk-greeter and use those

instead. That will work.



## License



This software is released under GPL-3+. See [LICENSE](LICENSE) for the full text

of the license.



Copyright © 2008-2016 Wolfgang Ullrich 



## Bugs



Bugs can be sent directly to the author or posted in the

[forums](http://home.ullrich-online.cc/fingerprint/Forum/).