ThinkWiki - User contributions [en]

How to enable the integrated fingerprint reader with ThinkFinger

2010-03-24T20:06:24Z

Josefwells: /* Lucid */

[[How to enable the fingerprint reader]] has a good explanation for using the fingerprint reader with the closed-source binary driver. But there is also an opensource project called [http://thinkfinger.sourceforge.net ThinkFinger] which does the same, but open.

However: The fingerprint reader is an INSECURE device and gives a false sense of security! There has been quite a bit of research by a hacker named Starbug, a member of the Chaos Computer Club, Berlin, Germany. He outlined in two very good talks how to forge each and every available fingerprint sensor available at the cost of a few euros, using materials from your local hardware store, a digicam and a laser printer! Here's some links:
* [http://www.ccc.de/updates/2007/umsonst-im-supermarkt?language=en Fingerprint recognition in supermarkets]
* [ftp://ftp.ccc.de/pub/documentation/Fingerabdruck_Hack/fingerabdruck.mpg Video tutorial for forging fingerprints]

== Installing ==
=== From source ===

Download thinkfinger-0.3.tar.gz from the [http://thinkfinger.sourceforge.net/ homepage] and unpack it somewhere, make sure you have the gcc compiler, libtool, pkg-config, libusb-dev and libpam0g-dev installed, then:

{{cmduser|cd thinkfinger-0.3}}

<code style="white-space:nowrap;color:#495988;background-color:white;"><nowiki>$</nowiki> ./configure --prefix=/usr --sysconfdir=/etc --with-securedir=/lib/security --with-birdir=/etc/pam_thinkfinger</code>

{{cmduser|make}}

{{cmdroot|make install}}

{{NOTE|/lib/security is the directory, where PAM assumes its modules on Debian and openSUSE, it may vary for your distro!}}

"make install" doesn't create the birdir we specified (where thinkfinger will store users' biometric info), so create it:

{{cmdroot|mkdir /etc/pam_thinkfinger}}

If everything went OK assert that you find pam_thinkfinger.so in /lib/security typing:

{{cmduser|ls /lib/security}}

=== From package ===

==== Debian ====
[http://packages.debian.org/source/experimental/thinkfinger Packages] arrived in Debian experimental on Aug 2nd, 2007 (cf. [http://bugs.debian.org/409563 bug #409563]). To access the experimental packages via apt, add the following lines to your sources.list:
<pre>
# experimental
deb ftp://mirrors.kernel.org/debian/ experimental main contrib non-free
deb-src ftp://mirrors.kernel.org/debian/ experimental main contrib non-free
</pre>
where of course you may replace mirrors.kernel.org with your mirror of choice. Just make sure that it hosts the experimental repositories.

{{cmdroot|aptitude update}}

{{cmdroot|aptitude install libthinkfinger0 libpam-thinkfinger thinkfinger-tools}}

should then get you up and running.

To make everything work you'll have to have permission to work the device ({{cmduser|sudo adduser myself plugdev}} worked for me), and you'll also have to follow instructions below about adding the device to your PAM methods.

==== Ubuntu ====

===== Gutsy =====

From https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ThinkFinger

Add PPA repositories to your sources.list:
<pre>
deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/jldugger/ubuntu gutsy main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/jldugger/ubuntu gutsy main restricted universe multiverse
</pre>

Install necessary packages:

{{cmduser|sudo apt-get install thinkfinger-tools libpam-thinkfinger}}

===== Hardy =====

Hardy includes the latest thinkfinger and it is up to date with subversion. Install packages:

{{cmduser|sudo apt-get install thinkfinger-tools libpam-thinkfinger}}

Update the pam configuration files:

{{cmduser|sudo /usr/lib/pam-thinkfinger/pam-thinkfinger-enable}}

Enroll your fingerprint (creates $HOME/.thinkfinger.bir). If this gives an error about claiming the USB device then a reboot was claimed to work, but in fact it may just be a permissions problem. {{NOTE|Do not try to enroll using 'sudo' - it will cause hidden permission problems}}

{{cmduser|tf-tool --acquire}}

Check fingerprint enrollment

{{cmduser|tf-tool --verify}}

You can expect everything to work correctly. Note that you still have to enter your username if prompted but will be able
to swipe your finger instead of the password. The prompt will usually be "Password or swipe finger"

* Graphical login
* Text console login
* sudo
* screen lock/screen saver
* Administrative password prompt (eg for update or package managers). (Note no "or swipe finger" in prompt).

===== Intrepid =====
After installing from the normal repositories coming with Ubuntu 8.10, you would have to press enter after sweeping finger. (This bug: [https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/thinkfinger/+bug/256429 https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/thinkfinger/+bug/256429])
Therefore Jon Oberheide made an update that can be found here:
[https://launchpad.net/~jon-oberheide/+archive https://launchpad.net/~jon-oberheide/+archive]
(As of 2/3/09, this no longer seems to be the case. Just proceed to the install step.)

Add the PPA repositories to your source.list (/etc/apt/source.list):
<pre>
deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/jon-oberheide/ubuntu intrepid main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/jon-oberheide/ubuntu intrepid main
</pre>

Update installer:

{{cmduser|sudo apt-get update}}

And install:

{{cmduser|sudo apt-get install thinkfinger-tools}}

===== Jaunty =====

The same package by Jon Oberheide is necessary, as with Intrepid, though the package thinkfinger-tools is installed by default.

Add key:

{{cmduser|sudo apt-key adv --recv-keys --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com F2A12FABE936A7BBDC4EA33351DB180D1323E149}}

Add the PPA repositories to your source.list (/etc/apt/source.list):

<pre>
deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/jon-oberheide/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/jon-oberheide/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main
</pre>

Update installer:

{{cmduser|sudo apt-get update}}

And install:

{{cmduser|sudo apt-get install thinkfinger-tools libpam-thinkfinger}}

===== Karmic =====

The syntax of udev rules is changed due to Karmic's new udev package. The correct rules should be:

<pre>
# SGS Thomson Microelectronics Fingerprint Reader
ENV{ID_VENDOR_ID}=="0483", ENV{ID_MODEL_ID}=="2016", SYMLINK+="input/thinkfinger-%k", MODE="0660", GROUP="fingerprint", ENV{GENERATED}="1"

# the also-needed uinput device
KERNEL=="uinput", MODE="0660", GROUP="fingerprint"
</pre>

Otherwise udev would accidentally change the ownership of /dev/null so that gdm would fail to start.

===== Lucid =====

From a working Karmic, upgrade to Lucid gave me a somewhat broken thinkfinger.

The scanner still works, but (in X windows) you need to hit "Enter" after doing a scan.
The scanner works fine while in terminal mode.

This is almost definitely because of the xorg version, see this message with no response for more info:
http://article.gmane.org/gmane.linux.drivers.thinkfinger/567

==== Fedora/Fedora Core ====
{{cmdroot|yum install thinkfinger}}

==== Gentoo ====
{{cmdroot|emerge sys-auth/thinkfinger}}

==== OpenSUSE ====
openSUSE 10.2 includes the package "libthinkfinger" (version 0.1-7) - you will find newer packages [http://beta1.suse.com/private/thoenig/10.2/thinkfinger/ here].

== Testing the driver ==

Now the driver is installed and should be working. You can try it (as root) with

{{cmdroot|tf-tool --acquire}}

and

{{cmdroot|tf-tool --verify}}

This will ask you to swipe your finger three times, save the fingerprint to /tmp/test.bir and then verify your fingerprint with the bir-file.

== Configuring PAM to use ThinkFinger ==
Now you can configure PAM to use ThinkFinger:

Open {{path|/etc/pam.d/common-auth}} (In FC6, F7, and Gentoo, this file is {{path|/etc/pam.d/system-auth}}):

{{cmdroot|nano -w /etc/pam.d/common-auth}}

Add this line before any pam_unix or pam_unix2 directives:
auth sufficient pam_thinkfinger.so

If your PAM uses the pam_unix and not the pam_unix2 module, you need to pass a specific argument in
the /etc/pam.d/common-auth directive to make it consider the password entered at the pam_thinkfinger prompt.
auth required pam_unix.so try_first_pass

For instance, {{path|/etc/pam.d/common-auth}} looks like this:
auth sufficient pam_thinkfinger.so
auth required pam_unix.so nullok_secure try_first_pass

On openSUSE 10.2, it looks like this now:
auth required pam_env.so
auth sufficient pam_thinkfinger.so
auth required pam_unix2.so

On Ubuntu 8.10 - Intrepid Ibex you should just add the following line the the /etc/pam.d/common-auth file so it looks like this:
<pre>
....
# here are the per-package modules (the "Primary" block)
auth sufficient pam_thinkfinger.so
auth [success=1 default=ignore] pam_unix.so try_first_pass nullok_secure
# here's the fallback if no module succeeds
....
</pre>

On Ubuntu 9.04, you don't need to edit manually, just type:

{{cmdroot|sudo /usr/lib/pam-thinkfinger/pam-thinkfinger-enable}}

Now we are ready to add users to thinkfinger. You can add a fingerprint for a user with:

{{cmdroot|tf-tool --acquire $USERNAME}}

{{NOTE|This may not work for you. Please read the Intrepid Ibex point in the discussion to this page.}}

Now the user should be able to login with his finger instead of the password.

If you would like to use thinkfinger for su, you have to enroll the fingerprint for root user with:

{{cmdroot|tf-tool --acquire root}}

{{NOTE|You should see the "Password or swipe finger:" prompt when trying to sudo or su. If you don't, you probably do not have the "User level driver support" compiled into your kernel or the "uinput" module loaded!}}

== xscreensaver/gnome-screensaver ==
{{NOTE|In Fedora 7, the package has been modified in such a way as to make doing this unnecessary.}}

If you'd like to be able to unlock your screen using the fingerprint reader, you must have current versions of xscreesaver (>~5.03) or gnome-screensaver (>~2.18.2). Then you must give yourself access to the fingerprint reader and your bir-file, because unlike login/gdm/su/sudo, both gnome-screensaver and xscreensaver do not run as root. The following procedure will make the fingerprint reader accessible to members of the "fingerprint" group.

Make the group: {{cmdroot|groupadd fingerprint}}

Save the following as {{path|/etc/udev/rules.d/60-thinkfinger.rules}} and run {{cmdroot|sudo /sbin/udevtrigger}}. If you are using a Debian-based distribution, it is likely you are affected by the following [http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=489831 bug] where you need to replace {{path|udevtrigger}} with {{path|udevadm trigger}} (with the space!) in order for the following to work. You may need to reboot for this to take effect.
#
# udev rules file for the thinkfinger fingerprint scanner
#
# gives access to the fingerprint reader to those in the "fingerprint" group
#
# Taken from:
# http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/How_to_enable_the_fingerprint_reader_with_ThinkFinger
# which was taken and modified from:
# http://article.gmane.org/gmane.linux.drivers.thinkfinger/329
#

# SGS Thomson Microelectronics Fingerprint Reader
SYSFS{idVendor}=="0483", SYSFS{idProduct}=="2016", SYMLINK+="input/thinkfinger-%k", MODE="0660", GROUP="fingerprint"

# the also-needed uinput device
KERNEL=="uinput", MODE="0660", GROUP="fingerprint"

Finally, edit {{path|/etc/pam.d/gnome-screensaver}} so that it looks like this:
auth sufficient pam_thinkfinger.so
auth required pam_unix.so try_first_pass nullok_secure

Per user:

# Add him to the group: {{cmdroot|gpasswd -a $USERNAME fingerprint}}
{{NOTE|The following steps do not need to be done in Ubuntu Intrepid as the bir files are handled differently.}}
# Make him owner of his bir-file: {{cmdroot|chown $USERNAME:root /etc/pam_thinkfinger/$USERNAME.bir}}
# Give him read-only access to his bir-file: {{cmdroot|chmod 400 /etc/pam_thinkfinger/$USERNAME.bir}}
# Give "execute only" access to everyone for the /etc/pam_thinkfinger/ directory: {{cmdroot|chmod o+x /etc/pam_thinkfinger}} (WARNING: this opens up security a little).

== GNOME ==

{{NOTE|1=This problem should be solved if you're using sudo >= 1.6.9p9. Links: [http://savannah.nongnu.org/bugs/?19132], [http://www.sudo.ws/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=180], [https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gksu/+bug/86843]}}

gksu/gksudo doesn't work correctly. It just stays invisible. When starting a su privileged application such as synaptics you will not get prompted for the password. Nevertheless you can swipe your finger and it should authenticate you. Starting synaptics twice makes gksudo visible.

There are two possibilities to solve it:
* Changing the string "Password or swipe finger:" to a plain "Password:" (like sudo normally would do) in the file pam/pam_thinkfinger.c of the thinkfinger source directory. Of course, in the console you will then only see a "Password:" instead of "Password or swipe finger:" but this is still more usefull than having gksu/gksudo crashing everytime.
* Patching libgksu with the following patch. This is also a nasty hack until a better solution is implemented.
<pre>
--- libgksu-2.0.3/libgksu/libgksu.c.orig 2007-06-17 16:00:24.000000000 +0200
+++ libgksu-2.0.3/libgksu/libgksu.c 2007-06-17 16:00:47.000000000 +0200
@@ -2663,7 +2663,7 @@
*/
for (counter = 0; counter < 50; counter++)
{
- if (strncmp (buffer, "GNOME_SUDO_PASS", 15) == 0)
+ if (strncmp (buffer, "GNOME_SUDO_PASS", 15) == 0 || strncmp (buffer, "Password or swi", 15) == 0)
break;

read_line (parent_pipe[0], buffer, 256);
@@ -2675,7 +2675,7 @@
if (context->debug)
fprintf (stderr, "brute force GNOME_SUDO_PASS ended...\n");

- if (strncmp(buffer, "GNOME_SUDO_PASS", 15) == 0)
+ if (strncmp(buffer, "GNOME_SUDO_PASS", 15) == 0 || strncmp(buffer, "Password or swi", 15) == 0)
{
gchar *password = NULL;
gboolean prompt_grab;
</pre>

== KDE ==

Integration in KDE and kdm seems not to be easily possible now. There is a filed [https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=116682 bug] at kde.org where you can vote for this.

Moreover, kdm in openSUSE 10.3 and in Kubuntu 8.10 crashes when pam_thinkfinger is enabled. A possible "workaround" is downgrading to thinkfinger 0.2.2.

Another workaround is to use Fprint from [http://www.reactivated.net/fprint/wiki/Main_Page] which works quite nicely on my X61s and Kubuntu Hardy.

This Howto was copied from [[Installing Ubuntu 6.06 on a ThinkPad T43#Fingerprint_Reader]] and then slightly modified.

== Fix for the fingerprint reader getting too hot ==

If you notice that your fingerprint reader occasionally gets very hot then you might be interested in this section. Thanks to Tino Keitel, he actually gave me this solution through the linux-thinkpad mailing list.

First we need to determine if the reader is not on autosuspend mode.
Open a terminal and run:

for i in `find /sys/devices/*/*/usb* -name level` ; do echo -n "$i: " ; cat $i ; done

We care about the devices that are with "on" state and we need to determine if one of those is the reader. So for each of those run something like:

cat /sys/devices/pci0000\:00/0000\:00\:1a.0/usb1/1-2/idVendor
0483

cat /sys/devices/pci0000\:00/0000\:00\:1a.0/usb1/1-2/idProduct
2016

Use the corresponding path of the devices that you got with "on" state and then compare the output with the output of the lsusb command. An example:

lsusb output: Bus 001 Device 004: ID 0483:2016 SGS Thomson Microelectronics Fingerprint Reader

Which matches the output above (0483:2016). Once you have determined the path of your reader then become root with su - and:

echo "auto" > /sys/<path-to-device>/power/level

After this, the fingerprint reader should be in "autosuspend" and will not get hot anymore. And it will still work as normal.

This will only work for the current session. If you want to make this change persistent and have [http://linux-diag.sourceforge.net/Sysfsutils.html sysfsutils] installed, edit the file {{path|/etc/sysfs.conf}} and add the line

<path-to-device>/power/level = auto

Following the above example, that would be

devices/pci0000\:00/0000\:00\:1a.0/usb1/1-2/power/level = auto

Alternatively, you can install an init script:

sudo gedit /etc/init.d/ReaderNoMoreHot

Paste the following into it:

#!/bin/bash
#
echo "auto" > /sys/<path-to-device>/power/level

Save and close. Then:

sudo chmod 755 /etc/init.d/ReaderNoMoreHot
sudo update-rc.d ReaderNoMoreHot defaults 90

--[[User:Lunatico|Lunatico]] 19:19, 1 August 2008 (CEST), extended by --[[User:Michaelthomas h|Michaelthomas h]] 23:36, 9 August 2008 (CEST)

For the init script above, you can use the following more elaborate script, which does all the work for you of identifying the <path-to-device>. This can be useful since the USB device id can change under various circumstances (kernel upgrade etc).

<pre>
#!/bin/bash

# find the fingerprint reader and change its power level to autosuspend

usbname="SGS Thomson Microelectronics Fingerprint Reader"
usbid=$(lsusb |grep "$usbname" |cut -d' ' -f6);
[[ -z $usbid ]] && echo "USB Device \"$usbname\" not found" && exit 1

unset failed_bool
find /sys/devices/*/*/usb* -name idVendor -print | (
while read vfile; do
dir=$(dirname $vfile);
vendor=$(<$vfile);
product=$(<$dir/idProduct);
if [[ $vendor:$product = $usbid ]]; then
plevel_file=$dir/power/level
old_level=$(<$plevel_file);
[[ $old_level = auto ]] || echo auto >$plevel_file || failed_bool=1
break;
fi;
done
if [[ $failed_bool ]]; then
echo "Failed to set the fingerprint reader's power level to 'auto'."
exit 1
fi
)
</pre>

Here is an alternate script. The code is cleaner and it's about 20x faster (updated for jaunty):
<pre>
#!/bin/bash

# find the fingerprint reader and change its power level to autosuspend

find_manuf=STMicroelectronics
find_prod="Biometric Coprocessor"

for devdir in /sys/class/usb_*/*/device; do
[[ -r $devdir/manufacturer ]] || continue
manuf=$(<$devdir/manufacturer)
[[ $manuf = $find_manuf ]] || continue;
prod=$(<$devdir/product)
[[ $prod = $find_prod ]] || continue;
# if we get here then we have the right device!
plevel_file=$devdir/power/level
old_level=$(<$plevel_file);
# if it is already set properly then exit silently:
[[ $old_level = auto ]] && exit 0
# if we successfully change it then exit silently:
echo auto >$plevel_file && exit 0
echo "Failed to set the fingerprint reader's power level to 'auto'."
exit 1
done

# if we make it through the for loop without exiting, the search failed
echo "Could not find the $find_manuf $find_prod (fingerprint reader)"
exit 1
</pre>

So, I decided to see if udev (on Ubuntu hardy) could do the job in this regard. I put the following in {{path|/etc/udev/rules.d/99-fingerprint-reader.rules}} and IWFM:
<pre>
ACTION!="add", GOTO="fingerprint_end"

SYSFS{idVendor}=="0483", SYSFS{idProduct}=="2016", RUN+="/bin/sh -c 'echo auto > /sys/$devpath/power/level'"

LABEL="fingerprint_end"
</pre>
[[User:Bkuhn|Bkuhn]] 01:39, 12 August 2009 (UTC)

How to enable the integrated fingerprint reader with ThinkFinger

2010-03-16T20:07:39Z

Josefwells: Added Lucid information

[[How to enable the fingerprint reader]] has a good explanation for using the fingerprint reader with the closed-source binary driver. But there is also an opensource project called [http://thinkfinger.sourceforge.net ThinkFinger] which does the same, but open.

However: The fingerprint reader is an INSECURE device and gives a false sense of security! There has been quite a bit of research by a hacker named Starbug, a member of the Chaos Computer Club, Berlin, Germany. He outlined in two very good talks how to forge each and every available fingerprint sensor available at the cost of a few euros, using materials from your local hardware store, a digicam and a laser printer! Here's some links:
* [http://www.ccc.de/updates/2007/umsonst-im-supermarkt?language=en Fingerprint recognition in supermarkets]
* [ftp://ftp.ccc.de/pub/documentation/Fingerabdruck_Hack/fingerabdruck.mpg Video tutorial for forging fingerprints]

== Installing ==
=== From source ===

Download thinkfinger-0.3.tar.gz from the [http://thinkfinger.sourceforge.net/ homepage] and unpack it somewhere, make sure you have the gcc compiler, libtool, pkg-config, libusb-dev and libpam0g-dev installed, then:

{{cmduser|cd thinkfinger-0.3}}

<code style="white-space:nowrap;color:#495988;background-color:white;"><nowiki>$</nowiki> ./configure --prefix=/usr --sysconfdir=/etc --with-securedir=/lib/security --with-birdir=/etc/pam_thinkfinger</code>

{{cmduser|make}}

{{cmdroot|make install}}

{{NOTE|/lib/security is the directory, where PAM assumes its modules on Debian and openSUSE, it may vary for your distro!}}

"make install" doesn't create the birdir we specified (where thinkfinger will store users' biometric info), so create it:

{{cmdroot|mkdir /etc/pam_thinkfinger}}

If everything went OK assert that you find pam_thinkfinger.so in /lib/security typing:

{{cmduser|ls /lib/security}}

=== From package ===

==== Debian ====
[http://packages.debian.org/source/experimental/thinkfinger Packages] arrived in Debian experimental on Aug 2nd, 2007 (cf. [http://bugs.debian.org/409563 bug #409563]). To access the experimental packages via apt, add the following lines to your sources.list:
<pre>
# experimental
deb ftp://mirrors.kernel.org/debian/ experimental main contrib non-free
deb-src ftp://mirrors.kernel.org/debian/ experimental main contrib non-free
</pre>
where of course you may replace mirrors.kernel.org with your mirror of choice. Just make sure that it hosts the experimental repositories.

{{cmdroot|aptitude update}}

{{cmdroot|aptitude install libthinkfinger0 libpam-thinkfinger thinkfinger-tools}}

should then get you up and running.

To make everything work you'll have to have permission to work the device ({{cmduser|sudo adduser myself plugdev}} worked for me), and you'll also have to follow instructions below about adding the device to your PAM methods.

==== Ubuntu ====

===== Gutsy =====

From https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ThinkFinger

Add PPA repositories to your sources.list:
<pre>
deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/jldugger/ubuntu gutsy main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/jldugger/ubuntu gutsy main restricted universe multiverse
</pre>

Install necessary packages:

{{cmduser|sudo apt-get install thinkfinger-tools libpam-thinkfinger}}

===== Hardy =====

Hardy includes the latest thinkfinger and it is up to date with subversion. Install packages:

{{cmduser|sudo apt-get install thinkfinger-tools libpam-thinkfinger}}

Update the pam configuration files:

{{cmduser|sudo /usr/lib/pam-thinkfinger/pam-thinkfinger-enable}}

Enroll your fingerprint (creates $HOME/.thinkfinger.bir). If this gives an error about claiming the USB device then a reboot was claimed to work, but in fact it may just be a permissions problem. {{NOTE|Do not try to enroll using 'sudo' - it will cause hidden permission problems}}

{{cmduser|tf-tool --acquire}}

Check fingerprint enrollment

{{cmduser|tf-tool --verify}}

You can expect everything to work correctly. Note that you still have to enter your username if prompted but will be able
to swipe your finger instead of the password. The prompt will usually be "Password or swipe finger"

* Graphical login
* Text console login
* sudo
* screen lock/screen saver
* Administrative password prompt (eg for update or package managers). (Note no "or swipe finger" in prompt).

===== Intrepid =====
After installing from the normal repositories coming with Ubuntu 8.10, you would have to press enter after sweeping finger. (This bug: [https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/thinkfinger/+bug/256429 https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/thinkfinger/+bug/256429])
Therefore Jon Oberheide made an update that can be found here:
[https://launchpad.net/~jon-oberheide/+archive https://launchpad.net/~jon-oberheide/+archive]
(As of 2/3/09, this no longer seems to be the case. Just proceed to the install step.)

Add the PPA repositories to your source.list (/etc/apt/source.list):
<pre>
deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/jon-oberheide/ubuntu intrepid main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/jon-oberheide/ubuntu intrepid main
</pre>

Update installer:

{{cmduser|sudo apt-get update}}

And install:

{{cmduser|sudo apt-get install thinkfinger-tools}}

===== Jaunty =====

The same package by Jon Oberheide is necessary, as with Intrepid, though the package thinkfinger-tools is installed by default.

Add key:

{{cmduser|sudo apt-key adv --recv-keys --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com F2A12FABE936A7BBDC4EA33351DB180D1323E149}}

Add the PPA repositories to your source.list (/etc/apt/source.list):

<pre>
deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/jon-oberheide/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/jon-oberheide/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main
</pre>

Update installer:

{{cmduser|sudo apt-get update}}

And install:

{{cmduser|sudo apt-get install thinkfinger-tools libpam-thinkfinger}}

===== Karmic =====

The syntax of udev rules is changed due to Karmic's new udev package. The correct rules should be:

<pre>
# SGS Thomson Microelectronics Fingerprint Reader
ENV{ID_VENDOR_ID}=="0483", ENV{ID_MODEL_ID}=="2016", SYMLINK+="input/thinkfinger-%k", MODE="0660", GROUP="fingerprint", ENV{GENERATED}="1"

# the also-needed uinput device
KERNEL=="uinput", MODE="0660", GROUP="fingerprint"
</pre>

Otherwise udev would accidentally change the ownership of /dev/null so that gdm would fail to start.

===== Lucid =====

From a working Karmic, upgrade to Lucid gave me a somewhat broken thinkfinger.

The scanner still works, but you need to hit "Enter" after doing a scan.

This may be because of the xorg version, see this message with no response for more info:
http://article.gmane.org/gmane.linux.drivers.thinkfinger/567

==== Fedora/Fedora Core ====
{{cmdroot|yum install thinkfinger}}

==== Gentoo ====
{{cmdroot|emerge sys-auth/thinkfinger}}

==== OpenSUSE ====
openSUSE 10.2 includes the package "libthinkfinger" (version 0.1-7) - you will find newer packages [http://beta1.suse.com/private/thoenig/10.2/thinkfinger/ here].

== Testing the driver ==

Now the driver is installed and should be working. You can try it (as root) with

{{cmdroot|tf-tool --acquire}}

and

{{cmdroot|tf-tool --verify}}

This will ask you to swipe your finger three times, save the fingerprint to /tmp/test.bir and then verify your fingerprint with the bir-file.

== Configuring PAM to use ThinkFinger ==
Now you can configure PAM to use ThinkFinger:

Open {{path|/etc/pam.d/common-auth}} (In FC6, F7, and Gentoo, this file is {{path|/etc/pam.d/system-auth}}):

{{cmdroot|nano -w /etc/pam.d/common-auth}}

Add this line before any pam_unix or pam_unix2 directives:
auth sufficient pam_thinkfinger.so

If your PAM uses the pam_unix and not the pam_unix2 module, you need to pass a specific argument in
the /etc/pam.d/common-auth directive to make it consider the password entered at the pam_thinkfinger prompt.
auth required pam_unix.so try_first_pass

For instance, {{path|/etc/pam.d/common-auth}} looks like this:
auth sufficient pam_thinkfinger.so
auth required pam_unix.so nullok_secure try_first_pass

On openSUSE 10.2, it looks like this now:
auth required pam_env.so
auth sufficient pam_thinkfinger.so
auth required pam_unix2.so

On Ubuntu 8.10 - Intrepid Ibex you should just add the following line the the /etc/pam.d/common-auth file so it looks like this:
<pre>
....
# here are the per-package modules (the "Primary" block)
auth sufficient pam_thinkfinger.so
auth [success=1 default=ignore] pam_unix.so try_first_pass nullok_secure
# here's the fallback if no module succeeds
....
</pre>

On Ubuntu 9.04, you don't need to edit manually, just type:

{{cmdroot|sudo /usr/lib/pam-thinkfinger/pam-thinkfinger-enable}}

Now we are ready to add users to thinkfinger. You can add a fingerprint for a user with:

{{cmdroot|tf-tool --acquire $USERNAME}}

{{NOTE|This may not work for you. Please read the Intrepid Ibex point in the discussion to this page.}}

Now the user should be able to login with his finger instead of the password.

If you would like to use thinkfinger for su, you have to enroll the fingerprint for root user with:

{{cmdroot|tf-tool --acquire root}}

{{NOTE|You should see the "Password or swipe finger:" prompt when trying to sudo or su. If you don't, you probably do not have the "User level driver support" compiled into your kernel or the "uinput" module loaded!}}

== xscreensaver/gnome-screensaver ==
{{NOTE|In Fedora 7, the package has been modified in such a way as to make doing this unnecessary.}}

If you'd like to be able to unlock your screen using the fingerprint reader, you must have current versions of xscreesaver (>~5.03) or gnome-screensaver (>~2.18.2). Then you must give yourself access to the fingerprint reader and your bir-file, because unlike login/gdm/su/sudo, both gnome-screensaver and xscreensaver do not run as root. The following procedure will make the fingerprint reader accessible to members of the "fingerprint" group.

Make the group: {{cmdroot|groupadd fingerprint}}

Save the following as {{path|/etc/udev/rules.d/60-thinkfinger.rules}} and run {{cmdroot|sudo /sbin/udevtrigger}}. If you are using a Debian-based distribution, it is likely you are affected by the following [http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=489831 bug] where you need to replace {{path|udevtrigger}} with {{path|udevadm trigger}} (with the space!) in order for the following to work. You may need to reboot for this to take effect.
#
# udev rules file for the thinkfinger fingerprint scanner
#
# gives access to the fingerprint reader to those in the "fingerprint" group
#
# Taken from:
# http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/How_to_enable_the_fingerprint_reader_with_ThinkFinger
# which was taken and modified from:
# http://article.gmane.org/gmane.linux.drivers.thinkfinger/329
#

# SGS Thomson Microelectronics Fingerprint Reader
SYSFS{idVendor}=="0483", SYSFS{idProduct}=="2016", SYMLINK+="input/thinkfinger-%k", MODE="0660", GROUP="fingerprint"

# the also-needed uinput device
KERNEL=="uinput", MODE="0660", GROUP="fingerprint"

Finally, edit {{path|/etc/pam.d/gnome-screensaver}} so that it looks like this:
auth sufficient pam_thinkfinger.so
auth required pam_unix.so try_first_pass nullok_secure

Per user:

# Add him to the group: {{cmdroot|gpasswd -a $USERNAME fingerprint}}
{{NOTE|The following steps do not need to be done in Ubuntu Intrepid as the bir files are handled differently.}}
# Make him owner of his bir-file: {{cmdroot|chown $USERNAME:root /etc/pam_thinkfinger/$USERNAME.bir}}
# Give him read-only access to his bir-file: {{cmdroot|chmod 400 /etc/pam_thinkfinger/$USERNAME.bir}}
# Give "execute only" access to everyone for the /etc/pam_thinkfinger/ directory: {{cmdroot|chmod o+x /etc/pam_thinkfinger}} (WARNING: this opens up security a little).

== GNOME ==

{{NOTE|1=This problem should be solved if you're using sudo >= 1.6.9p9. Links: [http://savannah.nongnu.org/bugs/?19132], [http://www.sudo.ws/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=180], [https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gksu/+bug/86843]}}

gksu/gksudo doesn't work correctly. It just stays invisible. When starting a su privileged application such as synaptics you will not get prompted for the password. Nevertheless you can swipe your finger and it should authenticate you. Starting synaptics twice makes gksudo visible.

There are two possibilities to solve it:
* Changing the string "Password or swipe finger:" to a plain "Password:" (like sudo normally would do) in the file pam/pam_thinkfinger.c of the thinkfinger source directory. Of course, in the console you will then only see a "Password:" instead of "Password or swipe finger:" but this is still more usefull than having gksu/gksudo crashing everytime.
* Patching libgksu with the following patch. This is also a nasty hack until a better solution is implemented.
<pre>
--- libgksu-2.0.3/libgksu/libgksu.c.orig 2007-06-17 16:00:24.000000000 +0200
+++ libgksu-2.0.3/libgksu/libgksu.c 2007-06-17 16:00:47.000000000 +0200
@@ -2663,7 +2663,7 @@
*/
for (counter = 0; counter < 50; counter++)
{
- if (strncmp (buffer, "GNOME_SUDO_PASS", 15) == 0)
+ if (strncmp (buffer, "GNOME_SUDO_PASS", 15) == 0 || strncmp (buffer, "Password or swi", 15) == 0)
break;

read_line (parent_pipe[0], buffer, 256);
@@ -2675,7 +2675,7 @@
if (context->debug)
fprintf (stderr, "brute force GNOME_SUDO_PASS ended...\n");

- if (strncmp(buffer, "GNOME_SUDO_PASS", 15) == 0)
+ if (strncmp(buffer, "GNOME_SUDO_PASS", 15) == 0 || strncmp(buffer, "Password or swi", 15) == 0)
{
gchar *password = NULL;
gboolean prompt_grab;
</pre>

== KDE ==

Integration in KDE and kdm seems not to be easily possible now. There is a filed [https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=116682 bug] at kde.org where you can vote for this.

Moreover, kdm in openSUSE 10.3 and in Kubuntu 8.10 crashes when pam_thinkfinger is enabled. A possible "workaround" is downgrading to thinkfinger 0.2.2.

Another workaround is to use Fprint from [http://www.reactivated.net/fprint/wiki/Main_Page] which works quite nicely on my X61s and Kubuntu Hardy.

This Howto was copied from [[Installing Ubuntu 6.06 on a ThinkPad T43#Fingerprint_Reader]] and then slightly modified.

== Fix for the fingerprint reader getting too hot ==

If you notice that your fingerprint reader occasionally gets very hot then you might be interested in this section. Thanks to Tino Keitel, he actually gave me this solution through the linux-thinkpad mailing list.

First we need to determine if the reader is not on autosuspend mode.
Open a terminal and run:

for i in `find /sys/devices/*/*/usb* -name level` ; do echo -n "$i: " ; cat $i ; done

We care about the devices that are with "on" state and we need to determine if one of those is the reader. So for each of those run something like:

cat /sys/devices/pci0000\:00/0000\:00\:1a.0/usb1/1-2/idVendor
0483

cat /sys/devices/pci0000\:00/0000\:00\:1a.0/usb1/1-2/idProduct
2016

Use the corresponding path of the devices that you got with "on" state and then compare the output with the output of the lsusb command. An example:

lsusb output: Bus 001 Device 004: ID 0483:2016 SGS Thomson Microelectronics Fingerprint Reader

Which matches the output above (0483:2016). Once you have determined the path of your reader then become root with su - and:

echo "auto" > /sys/<path-to-device>/power/level

After this, the fingerprint reader should be in "autosuspend" and will not get hot anymore. And it will still work as normal.

This will only work for the current session. If you want to make this change persistent and have [http://linux-diag.sourceforge.net/Sysfsutils.html sysfsutils] installed, edit the file {{path|/etc/sysfs.conf}} and add the line

<path-to-device>/power/level = auto

Following the above example, that would be

devices/pci0000\:00/0000\:00\:1a.0/usb1/1-2/power/level = auto

Alternatively, you can install an init script:

sudo gedit /etc/init.d/ReaderNoMoreHot

Paste the following into it:

#!/bin/bash
#
echo "auto" > /sys/<path-to-device>/power/level

Save and close. Then:

sudo chmod 755 /etc/init.d/ReaderNoMoreHot
sudo update-rc.d ReaderNoMoreHot defaults 90

--[[User:Lunatico|Lunatico]] 19:19, 1 August 2008 (CEST), extended by --[[User:Michaelthomas h|Michaelthomas h]] 23:36, 9 August 2008 (CEST)

For the init script above, you can use the following more elaborate script, which does all the work for you of identifying the <path-to-device>. This can be useful since the USB device id can change under various circumstances (kernel upgrade etc).

<pre>
#!/bin/bash

# find the fingerprint reader and change its power level to autosuspend

usbname="SGS Thomson Microelectronics Fingerprint Reader"
usbid=$(lsusb |grep "$usbname" |cut -d' ' -f6);
[[ -z $usbid ]] && echo "USB Device \"$usbname\" not found" && exit 1

unset failed_bool
find /sys/devices/*/*/usb* -name idVendor -print | (
while read vfile; do
dir=$(dirname $vfile);
vendor=$(<$vfile);
product=$(<$dir/idProduct);
if [[ $vendor:$product = $usbid ]]; then
plevel_file=$dir/power/level
old_level=$(<$plevel_file);
[[ $old_level = auto ]] || echo auto >$plevel_file || failed_bool=1
break;
fi;
done
if [[ $failed_bool ]]; then
echo "Failed to set the fingerprint reader's power level to 'auto'."
exit 1
fi
)
</pre>

Here is an alternate script. The code is cleaner and it's about 20x faster (updated for jaunty):
<pre>
#!/bin/bash

# find the fingerprint reader and change its power level to autosuspend

find_manuf=STMicroelectronics
find_prod="Biometric Coprocessor"

for devdir in /sys/class/usb_*/*/device; do
[[ -r $devdir/manufacturer ]] || continue
manuf=$(<$devdir/manufacturer)
[[ $manuf = $find_manuf ]] || continue;
prod=$(<$devdir/product)
[[ $prod = $find_prod ]] || continue;
# if we get here then we have the right device!
plevel_file=$devdir/power/level
old_level=$(<$plevel_file);
# if it is already set properly then exit silently:
[[ $old_level = auto ]] && exit 0
# if we successfully change it then exit silently:
echo auto >$plevel_file && exit 0
echo "Failed to set the fingerprint reader's power level to 'auto'."
exit 1
done

# if we make it through the for loop without exiting, the search failed
echo "Could not find the $find_manuf $find_prod (fingerprint reader)"
exit 1
</pre>

So, I decided to see if udev (on Ubuntu hardy) could do the job in this regard. I put the following in {{path|/etc/udev/rules.d/99-fingerprint-reader.rules}} and IWFM:
<pre>
ACTION!="add", GOTO="fingerprint_end"

SYSFS{idVendor}=="0483", SYSFS{idProduct}=="2016", RUN+="/bin/sh -c 'echo auto > /sys/$devpath/power/level'"

LABEL="fingerprint_end"
</pre>
[[User:Bkuhn|Bkuhn]] 01:39, 12 August 2009 (UTC)