---
name: "pam-panel-icon"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "usermode"
version: "1.114-3+b2"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/pam-panel-icon"
---

# pam-panel-icon(1)

A notification area indicator of pam\_timestamp status

## NAME

pam-panel-icon - A notification area indicator of pam\_timestamp status

## SYNOPSIS

**pam-panel-icon**

## DESCRIPTION

**pam-panel-icon** should be automatically started when starting an X11 desktop environment. For example, in GNOME **gnome-session** should be configured to start **pam-panel-icon**. In a properly configured system it should never be necessary to start **pam-panel-icon** manually.

**pam-panel-icon** uses [**pam\_timestamp\_check**(8)](/pam_timestamp_check/8.md) to watch the **pam\_timestamp** timestamp status. If the **pam\_timestamp** authorization is active, allowing an unprivileged user to temporarily authenticate as the **root** user without providing a password, an icon in the notification area of the panel is displayed. The icon allows dropping the authorization immediately.

## EXIT STATUS

Ordinarily, **pam-panel-icon** keeps running until the X11 desktop session ends, and then returns 0. **pam-panel-icon** only returns with non-zero status on unexpected error.

## FILES

- **/sbin/pam\_timestamp\_check**

  A hard-coded location of the **pam\_timestamp\_check** executable.

## SEE ALSO

[**pam\_timestamp**(8)](/pam_timestamp/8.md), [**pam\_timestamp\_check**(8)](/pam_timestamp_check/8.md)