Fingerprint scanner support in Linux

jineshkj · 11-14-2006, 11:26 PM

Hi friends,

I have a fingerprint scanner in my laptop which I've been trying to use in Linux. Unfortunately I could not find any useful driver/interface for the same. I would like to know whether there exists any framework or drivers within the Linux kernel for such devices.

jinesh.

operator10001 · 11-15-2006, 06:42 AM

not that i know of and i dont thinks that there should be.

Quigi · 11-15-2006, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jineshkj

I would like to know whether there exists any framework or drivers within the Linux kernel for such devices.

Yes, something must exist, because it works for me

though I don't know exactly how. I got the Toucan from EmperorLinux, it's based on the IBM Thinkpad T60. It came with bioapi-util, a sample program, that you also use to enroll.
E.g., my /etc/pam.d/sudo/ is:

Code:

#%PAM-1.0
auth sufficient /usr/local/lib/security/pam_bioapi.so {5550454b-2054-464d-2f45-535321225350} /etc/bioapi/pam/
@include common-auth
@include common-account

I just copied the "auth sufficient" line from some other /etc/pam.d/ file. Now it lets me swipe my finger instead of typing my password.

If your distribution doesn't include it, Google BioAPI for 131,000 hits.

operator10001 · 11-15-2006, 09:25 PM

well, in that case, why not just identify the user by, dna or brainwave patterns, or synaptic configuration, or pneumonic ingram permutation etc. all are a very bad means of id.

lebabyg · 11-16-2006, 09:25 AM

Operator doesn't seem very happy. It's beyond me why he is posting. I have a HP-Compaq with a fingerprint scanner on Mandriva, it's listed under hardware but doesn't seem to show up in lspci and it says there is no module installed. Do you suggest installing bioapi-util?? And operator, i'm trying to get it to work not because i have to, or because it would be useful, just because i can. And isn't that one of the reasons you use linux and don't just buy a mac??

Quigi · 11-16-2006, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lebabyg

Operator doesn't seem very happy.

Lol

Not sure if he has political or technical objections.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lebabyg

I have a HP-Compaq with a fingerprint scanner on Mandriva, it's listed under hardware but doesn't seem to show up in lspci and it says there is no module installed. Do you suggest installing bioapi-util??

As I said, I got the machine with Linux pre-installed, so I don't know what it took EmperorLinux (the vendor) to get this going, but they compiled it from source. Poking around a bit I see I have the package bioapi-1.2.2. Googling for that or "BioAPI framework Linux" turns up a bunch of promising links, including RPMs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by http://www.bioapi.org/DownloadsPage1.html

This package is a “port” of the existing Windows™ (Win32™) implementation to execute on either Linux™ or Sun Solaris™ platforms

It shows, with directories like /usr/local/var/bioapi/registry/HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/BioAPI/MDS/VersionMajor

Anyway, install the package, which ought to give you shared libraries (/usr/local/lib/libbioapi{_mds3,_dummy1,1}00.{so{,.0{,.0.0}},{,l}a}
and /usr/local/lib/security/pam_bioapi.{so{,.0{,.0.0}},la}), sundry other stuff, and the "sample application" bioapi-util. So there's a lot more to the package than that one executable. (Inside the tar-bzip2 package I see bioapi.tbz2 and pambioapi.tbz2, which probably need building too).

Good luck!

lebabyg · 11-16-2006, 08:12 PM

Did a google about and my fingerprint scanner aint supported in Linux (Authentec

) So it seems i'll have to use good old passwords, but of course operator if somebody really wanted the valuable data on my harddrive they could get it anyway, couldn't they

jineshkj · 11-16-2006, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lebabyg

Did a google about and my fingerprint scanner aint supported in Linux (Authentec

)

BTW, my laptop is HP nx6125. I believe that my fingerprint scanner is the same as yours and it also seems that it is a USB device. I think the drivers already exist for the device in windows - if we can somehow(may be using ndiswrapper) run it in Linux then probably we can get to know more about the device.

What I am mostly concerned about is the support for such kind of devices within the kernel - it seems that the kernel doesnt have any particular framework for such biometric devices - OR let me know if i'm wrong

lebabyg · 11-20-2006, 01:23 PM

That's basically the problem, there is no kernel support and i don't have a clue about how to go adding it. We'll just have to wait and see if somebody does in the future.

operator10001 · 11-20-2006, 06:58 PM

my major concern (not objection) is philosophical, not merely technological or political, even though both can be dangerous. a little word of caution is in order. personal computing is getting much too personal. without a bufferzone of privacy you are exposing your future to extreme and unpredictable un-necessary risk. i have a easy theroy of how to make the driver. but, i strongly advise you to avoid using this feature. it's very unwise.
a new idea comes to me though. use it as a passive scanner to document who tries to access your info without permission.

lebabyg · 12-04-2006, 10:28 AM

Could you possibly give us the theory of how to make the driver?? There are a lot more things in the world that trouble me on a philsophical level than the use of a fingerprint scanner on my laptop, i just think that it would be a pretty cool gadget.

operator10001 · 12-05-2006, 09:46 AM

first, it will be easiest if you have basic schematics of electrical routing for the device. the hardware maker should supply this, don't expect them to reveal proprietary trade secrets. the scanner should scan the print and translate it to a big binary code and then store it into a buffer or shunt it to the motherboard.
second thought:
someone already made the driver! you can load it here:
http://www.bioapi.org/DownloadsPage1.html
if this doesnt work then I will help you to make one from scratch.