There are various contexts in which users may need to authenticate
themselves (i.e., supply a password): connecting to read their
e-mail via a POP or IMAP client, setting up a personal mailbox filter,
sending e-mail using SASL. PMDF supports performing such authentication
against various authentication sources, such as
/etc/passwd, the PMDF password databases, PMDF user
profiles (PMDF MessageStore or PMDF popstore account profiles), or even
an LDAP directory. The PMDF default, allowing authentication against
any of a PMDF user profile, the PMDF password database, or system login
passwords, is usually a good starting point for most sites. See the
PMDF System Manager's Guide for further information on PMDF authentication and
security configuration.