If you want to look for compatible smart card readers, check
http://wiki.debian.org/Smartcards. For smart cards compatible with opensc, check
https://github.com/OpenSC/OpenSC/wik...-USB-tokens%29. You may choose to utilize proprietary smart cards, but this guide only covers opensc-compatible ones.
The majority of the information I used can be found at
http://www.gooze.eu and
https://github.com/OpenSC/pam_pkcs11/wiki. I ended up purchasing Athena...