1 [[chapter_user_management]]
10 pveum - Proxmox VE User Manager
16 include::pveum.1-synopsis.adoc[]
28 // Copied from pve wiki: Revision as of 16:10, 27 October 2015
30 {pve} supports multiple authentication sources, for example Linux PAM,
31 an integrated Proxmox VE authentication server, LDAP, Microsoft Active
32 Directory and OpenID Connect.
34 By using role-based user and permission management for all objects (VMs,
35 Storage, nodes, etc.), granular access can be defined.
42 {pve} stores user attributes in `/etc/pve/user.cfg`.
43 Passwords are not stored here; users are instead associated with the
44 <<pveum_authentication_realms,authentication realms>> described below.
45 Therefore, a user is often internally identified by their username and
46 realm in the form `<userid>@<realm>`.
48 Each user entry in this file contains the following information:
54 * An optional expiration date
55 * A comment or note about this user
56 * Whether this user is enabled or disabled
57 * Optional two-factor authentication keys
59 CAUTION: When you disable or delete a user, or if the expiry date set is
60 in the past, this user will not be able to log in to new sessions or start new
61 tasks. All tasks which have already been started by this user (for example,
62 terminal sessions) will **not** be terminated automatically by any such event.
68 The system's root user can always log in via the Linux PAM realm and is an
69 unconfined administrator. This user cannot be deleted, but attributes can
70 still be changed. System mails will be sent to the email address
71 assigned to this user.
78 Each user can be a member of several groups. Groups are the preferred
79 way to organize access permissions. You should always grant permissions
80 to groups instead of individual users. That way you will get a
81 much more maintainable access control list.
87 API tokens allow stateless access to most parts of the REST API from another
88 system, software or API client. Tokens can be generated for individual users
89 and can be given separate permissions and expiration dates to limit the scope
90 and duration of the access. Should the API token get compromised, it can be
91 revoked without disabling the user itself.
93 API tokens come in two basic types:
95 * Separated privileges: The token needs to be given explicit access with ACLs.
96 Its effective permissions are calculated by intersecting user and token
98 * Full privileges: The token's permissions are identical to that of the
101 CAUTION: The token value is only displayed/returned once when the token is
102 generated. It cannot be retrieved again over the API at a later time!
104 To use an API token, set the HTTP header 'Authorization' to the displayed value
105 of the form `PVEAPIToken=USER@REALM!TOKENID=UUID` when making API requests, or
106 refer to your API client's documentation.
108 [[pveum_resource_pools]]
112 [thumbnail="screenshot/gui-datacenter-pool-window.png"]
114 A resource pool is a set of virtual machines, containers, and storage
115 devices. It is useful for permission handling in cases where certain users
116 should have controlled access to a specific set of resources, as it allows for a
117 single permission to be applied to a set of elements, rather than having to
118 manage this on a per-resource basis. Resource pools are often used in tandem
119 with groups, so that the members of a group have permissions on a set of
120 machines and storage.
122 [[pveum_authentication_realms]]
123 Authentication Realms
124 ---------------------
126 As {pve} users are just counterparts for users existing on some external
127 realm, the realms have to be configured in `/etc/pve/domains.cfg`.
128 The following realms (authentication methods) are available:
130 Linux PAM Standard Authentication::
132 Linux PAM is a framework for system-wide user authentication. These users are
133 created on the host system with commands such as `adduser`. If PAM users exist
134 on the {pve} host system, corresponding entries can be added to {pve}, to allow
135 these users to log in via their system username and password.
137 {pve} Authentication Server::
139 This is a Unix-like password store, which stores hashed passwords in
140 `/etc/pve/priv/shadow.cfg`. Passwords are hashed using the SHA-256 hashing
141 algorithm. This is the most convenient realm for small-scale (or even
142 mid-scale) installations, where users do not need access to anything outside of
143 {pve}. In this case, users are fully managed by {pve} and are able to change
144 their own passwords via the GUI.
148 LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) is an open, cross-platform protocol
149 for authentication using directory services. OpenLDAP is a popular open-source
150 implementations of the LDAP protocol.
152 Microsoft Active Directory (AD)::
154 Microsoft Active Directory (AD) is a directory service for Windows domain
155 networks and is supported as an authentication realm for {pve}. It supports LDAP
156 as an authentication protocol.
160 OpenID Connect is implemented as an identity layer on top of the OATH 2.0
161 protocol. It allows clients to verify the identity of the user, based on
162 authentication performed by an external authorization server.
164 Linux PAM Standard Authentication
165 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
167 As Linux PAM corresponds to host system users, a system user must exist on each
168 node which the user is allowed to log in on. The user authenticates with their
169 usual system password. This realm is added by default and can't be removed. In
170 terms of configurability, an administrator can choose to require two-factor
171 authentication with logins from the realm and to set the realm as the default
172 authentication realm.
175 {pve} Authentication Server
176 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
178 The {pve} authentication server realm is a simple Unix-like password store.
179 The realm is created by default, and as with Linux PAM, the only configuration
180 items available are the ability to require two-factor authentication for users
181 of the realm, and to set it as the default realm for login.
183 Unlike the other {pve} realm types, users are created and authenticated entirely
184 through {pve}, rather than authenticating against another system. Hence, you are
185 required to set a password for this type of user upon creation.
191 You can also use an external LDAP server for user authentication (for examle,
192 OpenLDAP). In this realm type, users are searched under a 'Base Domain Name'
193 (`base_dn`), using the username attribute specified in the 'User Attribute Name'
196 A server and optional fallback server can be configured, and the connection can
197 be encrypted via SSL. Furthermore, filters can be configured for directories and
198 groups. Filters allow you to further limit the scope of the realm.
200 For instance, if a user is represented via the following LDIF dataset:
203 # user1 of People at ldap-test.com
204 dn: uid=user1,ou=People,dc=ldap-test,dc=com
207 objectClass: organizationalPerson
208 objectClass: inetOrgPerson
212 description: This is the first test user.
215 The 'Base Domain Name' would be `ou=People,dc=ldap-test,dc=com` and the user
216 attribute would be `uid`.
218 If {pve} needs to authenticate (bind) to the LDAP server before being
219 able to query and authenticate users, a bind domain name can be
220 configured via the `bind_dn` property in `/etc/pve/domains.cfg`. Its
221 password then has to be stored in `/etc/pve/priv/ldap/<realmname>.pw`
222 (for example, `/etc/pve/priv/ldap/my-ldap.pw`). This file should contain a
223 single line with the raw password.
225 To verify certificates, you need to set `capath`. You can set it either
226 directly to the CA certificate of your LDAP server, or to the system path
227 containing all trusted CA certificates (`/etc/ssl/certs`).
228 Additionally, you need to set the `verify` option, which can also be done over
231 The main configuration options for an LDAP server realm are as follows:
233 * `Realm` (`realm`): The realm identifier for {pve} users
235 * `Base Domain Name` (`base_dn`): The directory which users are searched under
237 * `User Attribute Name` (`user_attr`): The LDAP attribute containing the
238 username that users will log in with
240 * `Server` (`server1`): The server hosting the LDAP directory
242 * `Fallback Server` (`server2`): An optional fallback server address, in case
243 the primary server is unreachable
245 * `Port` (`port`): The port that the LDAP server listens on
247 NOTE: In order to allow a particular user to authenticate using the LDAP server,
248 you must also add them as a user of that realm from the {pve} server. This can
249 be carried out automatically with <<pveum_ldap_sync, syncing>>.
252 Microsoft Active Directory (AD)
253 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
255 To set up Microsoft AD as a realm, a server address and authentication domain
256 need to be specified. Active Directory supports most of the same properties as
257 LDAP, such as an optional fallback server, port, and SSL encryption.
258 Furthermore, users can be added to {pve} automatically via
259 <<pveum_ldap_sync, sync>> operations, after configuration.
261 As with LDAP, if {pve} needs to authenticate before it binds to the AD server,
262 you must configure the 'Bind User' (`bind_dn`) property. This property is
263 typically required by default for Microsoft AD.
265 The main configuration settings for Microsoft Active Directory are:
267 * `Realm` (`realm`): The realm identifier for {pve} users
269 * `Domain` (`domain`): The AD domain of the server
271 * `Server` (`server1`): The FQDN or IP address of the server
273 * `Fallback Server` (`server2`): An optional fallback server address, in case
274 the primary server is unreachable
276 * `Port` (`port`): The port that the Microsoft AD server listens on
279 Syncing LDAP-Based Realms
280 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
282 [thumbnail="screenshot/gui-datacenter-realm-add-ldap.png"]
284 It's possible to automatically sync users and groups for LDAP-based realms (LDAP
285 & Microsoft Active Directory), rather than having to add them to {pve} manually.
286 You can access the sync options from the Add/Edit window of the web interface's
287 `Authentication` panel or via the `pveum realm add/modify` commands. You can
288 then carry out the sync operation from the `Authentication` panel of the GUI or
289 using the following command:
292 pveum realm sync <realm>
295 Users and groups are synced to the cluster-wide configuration file,
302 The configuration options for syncing LDAP-based realms can be found in the
303 `Sync Options` tab of the Add/Edit window.
305 The configuration options are as follows:
307 * `Bind User` (`bind_dn`): Refers to the LDAP account used to query users
308 and groups. This account needs access to all desired entries. If it's set, the
309 search will be carried out via binding; otherwise, the search will be carried
310 out anonymously. The user must be a complete LDAP formatted distinguished name
311 (DN), for example, `cn=admin,dc=example,dc=com`.
313 * Groupname attr. (group_name_attr): Represents the
314 users' groups. Only entries which adhere to the usual character limitations of
315 the `user.cfg` are synced. Groups are synced with `-$realm` attached to the
316 name, in order to avoid naming conflicts. Please ensure that a sync does not
317 overwrite manually created groups.
319 * `User classes` (`user_classes`): Objects classes associated with users.
321 * `Group classes` (`group_classes`): Objects classes associated with groups.
323 * `E-Mail attribute`: If the LDAP-based server specifies user email addresses,
324 these can also be included in the sync by setting the associated attribute
325 here. From the command line, this is achievable through the
326 `--sync_attributes` parameter.
328 * `User Filter` (`filter`): For further filter options to target specific users.
330 * `Group Filter` (`group_filter`): For further filter options to target specific
333 NOTE: Filters allow you to create a set of additional match criteria, to narrow
334 down the scope of a sync. Information on available LDAP filter types and their
335 usage can be found at https://ldap.com/ldap-filters/[ldap.com].
338 [[pveum_ldap_sync_options]]
342 [thumbnail="screenshot/gui-datacenter-realm-add-ldap-sync-options.png"]
344 In addition to the options specified in the previous section, you can also
345 configure further options that describe the behavior of the sync operation.
347 These options are either set as parameters before the sync, or as defaults via
348 the realm option `sync-defaults-options`.
350 The main options for syncing are:
352 * `Scope` (`scope`): The scope of what to sync. It can be either `users`,
355 * `Enable new` (`enable-new`): If set, the newly synced users are enabled and
356 can log in. The default is `true`.
358 * `Full` (`full`): If set, the sync uses the LDAP directory as a source of
359 truth, overwriting information set manually in the `user.cfg` and deleting
360 users and groups which are not present in the LDAP directory. If not set, only
361 new data is written to the configuration, and no stale users are deleted.
363 * `Purge ACLs` (`purge`): If set, sync removes all corresponding ACLs when
364 removing users and groups. This is only useful with the option `full`.
366 * `Preview` (`dry-run`): No data is written to the config. This is useful if you
367 want to see which users and groups would get synced to the `user.cfg`.
374 The main OpenID Connect configuration options are:
376 * `Issuer URL` (`issuer-url`): This is the URL of the authorization server.
377 Proxmox uses the OpenID Connect Discovery protocol to automatically configure
380 While it is possible to use unencrypted `http://` URLs, we strongly recommend to
381 use encrypted `https://` connections.
383 * `Realm` (`realm`): The realm identifier for {pve} users
385 * `Client ID` (`client-id`): OpenID Client ID.
387 * `Client Key` (`client-key`): Optional OpenID Client Key.
389 * `Autocreate Users` (`autocreate`): Automatically create users if they do not
390 exist. While authentication is done at the OpenID server, all users still need
391 an entry in the {pve} user configuration. You can either add them manually, or
392 use the `autocreate` option to automatically add new users.
394 * `Username Claim` (`username-claim`): OpenID claim used to generate the unique
395 username (`subject`, `username` or `email`).
400 The OpenID Connect specification defines a single unique attribute
401 ('claim' in OpenID terms) named `subject`. By default, we use the
402 value of this attribute to generate {pve} usernames, by simple adding
403 `@` and the realm name: `${subject}@${realm}`.
405 Unfortunately, most OpenID servers use random strings for `subject`, like
406 `DGH76OKH34BNG3245SB`, so a typical username would look like
407 `DGH76OKH34BNG3245SB@yourrealm`. While unique, it is difficult for
408 humans to remember such random strings, making it quite impossible to
409 associate real users with this.
411 The `username-claim` setting allows you to use other attributes for
412 the username mapping. Setting it to `username` is preferred if the
413 OpenID Connect server provides that attribute and guarantees its
416 Another option is to use `email`, which also yields human readable
417 usernames. Again, only use this setting if the server guarantees the
418 uniqueness of this attribute.
423 Here is an example of creating an OpenID realm using Google. You need to
424 replace `--client-id` and `--client-key` with the values
425 from your Google OpenID settings.
428 pveum realm add myrealm1 --type openid --issuer-url https://accounts.google.com --client-id XXXX --client-key YYYY --username-claim email
431 The above command uses `--username-claim email`, so that the usernames on the
432 {pve} side look like `example.user@google.com@myrealm1`.
434 Keycloak (https://www.keycloak.org/) is a popular open source Identity
435 and Access Management tool, which supports OpenID Connect. In the following
436 example, you need to replace the `--issuer-url` and `--client-id` with
440 pveum realm add myrealm2 --type openid --issuer-url https://your.server:8080/auth/realms/your-realm --client-id XXX --username-claim username
443 Using `--username-claim username` enables simple usernames on the
444 {pve} side, like `example.user@myrealm2`.
446 WARNING: You need to ensure that the user is not allowed to edit
447 the username setting themselves (on the Keycloak server).
451 Two-Factor Authentication
452 -------------------------
454 There are two ways to use two-factor authentication:
456 It can be required by the authentication realm, either via 'TOTP'
457 (Time-based One-Time Password) or 'YubiKey OTP'. In this case, a newly
458 created user needs to have their keys added immediately, as there is no way to
459 log in without the second factor. In the case of 'TOTP', users can
460 also change the 'TOTP' later on, provided they can log in first.
462 Alternatively, users can choose to opt-in to two-factor authentication
463 via 'TOTP' later on, even if the realm does not enforce it. As another
464 option, if the server has an 'AppId' configured, a user can opt-in to
465 'U2F' authentication, provided the realm does not enforce any other
468 Realm Enforced Two-Factor Authentication
469 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
471 This can be done by selecting one of the available methods via the
472 'TFA' dropdown box when adding or editing an Authentication Realm.
473 When a realm has TFA enabled, it becomes a requirement, and only users
474 with configured TFA will be able to log in.
476 Currently there are two methods available:
478 Time-based OATH (TOTP):: This uses the standard HMAC-SHA1 algorithm,
479 where the current time is hashed with the user's configured key. The
480 time step and password length parameters are configurable.
482 A user can have multiple keys configured (separated by spaces), and the keys
483 can be specified in Base32 (RFC3548) or hexadecimal notation.
485 {pve} provides a key generation tool (`oathkeygen`) which prints out a random
486 key in Base32 notation, that can be used directly with various OTP tools, such
487 as the `oathtool` command line tool, or on Android Google Authenticator,
488 FreeOTP, andOTP or similar applications.
491 For authenticating via a YubiKey a Yubico API ID, API KEY and validation
492 server URL must be configured, and users must have a YubiKey available. In
493 order to get the key ID from a YubiKey, you can trigger the YubiKey once
494 after connecting it via USB, and copy the first 12 characters of the typed
495 password into the user's 'Key IDs' field.
497 Please refer to the https://developers.yubico.com/OTP/[YubiKey OTP]
498 documentation for how to use the
499 https://www.yubico.com/products/services-software/yubicloud/[YubiCloud] or
500 https://developers.yubico.com/Software_Projects/Yubico_OTP/YubiCloud_Validation_Servers/[host your own verification server].
502 [[pveum_user_configured_totp]]
503 User Configured TOTP Authentication
504 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
506 Users can choose to enable 'TOTP' as a second factor on login, via the 'TFA'
507 button in the user list (unless the realm enforces 'YubiKey OTP').
509 [thumbnail="screenshot/gui-datacenter-users-tfa.png"]
511 After opening the 'TFA' window, the user is presented with a dialog to set up
512 'TOTP' authentication. The 'Secret' field contains the key, which can be
513 randomly generated via the 'Randomize' button. An optional 'Issuer Name' can be
514 added to provide information to the 'TOTP' app about what the key belongs to.
515 Most 'TOTP' apps will show the issuer name together with the corresponding
516 'OTP' values. The username is also included in the QR code for the 'TOTP' app.
518 After generating a key, a QR code will be displayed, which can be used with most
519 OTP apps such as FreeOTP. The user then needs to verify the current user
520 password (unless logged in as 'root'), as well as the ability to correctly use
521 the 'TOTP' key, by typing the current 'OTP' value into the 'Verification Code'
522 field and pressing the 'Apply' button.
524 [[pveum_configure_u2f]]
525 Server Side U2F Configuration
526 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
528 To allow users to use 'U2F' authentication, it may be necessary to use a valid
529 domain with a valid SSL certificate, otherwise, some browsers may print
530 a warning or reject U2F usage altogether. Initially, an 'AppId'
531 footnote:[AppId https://developers.yubico.com/U2F/App_ID.html]
532 needs to be configured.
534 NOTE: Changing the 'AppId' will render all existing 'U2F' registrations
537 This is done via `/etc/pve/datacenter.cfg`. For instance:
540 u2f: appid=https://mypve.example.com:8006
543 For a single node, the 'AppId' can simply be the address of the web-interface,
544 exactly as it is used in the browser, including the 'https://' and the port, as
545 shown above. Please note that some browsers may be more strict than others when
548 When using multiple nodes, it is best to have a separate `https` server
549 providing an `appid.json`
550 footnote:[Multi-facet apps: https://developers.yubico.com/U2F/App_ID.html]
551 file, as it seems to be compatible with most
552 browsers. If all nodes use subdomains of the same top level domain, it may be
553 enough to use the TLD as 'AppId'. It should however be noted that some browsers
556 NOTE: A bad 'AppId' will usually produce an error, but we have encountered
557 situations when this does not happen, particularly when using a top level domain
558 'AppId' for a node that is accessed via a subdomain in Chromium. For this reason
559 it is recommended to test the configuration with multiple browsers, as changing
560 the 'AppId' later will render existing 'U2F' registrations unusable.
562 [[pveum_user_configured_u2f]]
563 Activating U2F as a User
564 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
566 To enable 'U2F' authentication, open the 'TFA' window's 'U2F' tab, type in the
567 current password (unless logged in as root), and press the 'Register' button.
568 If the server is set up correctly and the browser accepts the server's provided
569 'AppId', a message will appear prompting the user to press the button on the
570 'U2F' device (if it is a 'YubiKey', the button light should be toggling on and
571 off steadily, roughly twice per second).
573 Firefox users may need to enable 'security.webauth.u2f' via 'about:config'
574 before they can use a 'U2F' token.
576 [[pveum_permission_management]]
577 Permission Management
578 ---------------------
580 In order for a user to perform an action (such as listing, modifying or
581 deleting parts of a VM's configuration), the user needs to have the
582 appropriate permissions.
584 {pve} uses a role and path based permission management system. An entry in
585 the permissions table allows a user, group or token to take on a specific role
586 when accessing an 'object' or 'path'. This means that such an access rule can
587 be represented as a triple of '(path, user, role)', '(path, group,
588 role)' or '(path, token, role)', with the role containing a set of allowed
589 actions, and the path representing the target of these actions.
596 A role is simply a list of privileges. Proxmox VE comes with a number
597 of predefined roles, which satisfy most requirements.
599 * `Administrator`: has full privileges
600 * `NoAccess`: has no privileges (used to forbid access)
601 * `PVEAdmin`: can do most tasks, but has no rights to modify system settings (`Sys.PowerMgmt`, `Sys.Modify`, `Realm.Allocate`)
602 * `PVEAuditor`: has read only access
603 * `PVEDatastoreAdmin`: create and allocate backup space and templates
604 * `PVEDatastoreUser`: allocate backup space and view storage
605 * `PVEPoolAdmin`: allocate pools
606 * `PVESysAdmin`: User ACLs, audit, system console and system logs
607 * `PVETemplateUser`: view and clone templates
608 * `PVEUserAdmin`: manage users
609 * `PVEVMAdmin`: fully administer VMs
610 * `PVEVMUser`: view, backup, configure CD-ROM, VM console, VM power management
612 You can see the whole set of predefined roles in the GUI.
614 You can add new roles via the GUI or the command line.
616 [thumbnail="screenshot/gui-datacenter-role-add.png"]
617 From the GUI, navigate to the 'Permissions -> Roles' tab from 'Datacenter' and
618 click on the 'Create' button. There you can set a role name and select any
619 desired privileges from the 'Privileges' drop-down menu.
621 To add a role through the command line, you can use the 'pveum' CLI tool, for
625 pveum role add PVE_Power-only --privs "VM.PowerMgmt VM.Console"
626 pveum role add Sys_Power-only --privs "Sys.PowerMgmt Sys.Console"
633 A privilege is the right to perform a specific action. To simplify
634 management, lists of privileges are grouped into roles, which can then
635 be used in the permission table. Note that privileges cannot be directly
636 assigned to users and paths without being part of a role.
638 We currently support the following privileges:
640 Node / System related privileges::
642 * `Permissions.Modify`: modify access permissions
643 * `Sys.PowerMgmt`: node power management (start, stop, reset, shutdown, ...)
644 * `Sys.Console`: console access to node
645 * `Sys.Syslog`: view syslog
646 * `Sys.Audit`: view node status/config, Corosync cluster config, and HA config
647 * `Sys.Modify`: create/modify/remove node network parameters
648 * `Group.Allocate`: create/modify/remove groups
649 * `Pool.Allocate`: create/modify/remove a pool
650 * `Pool.Audit`: view a pool
651 * `Realm.Allocate`: create/modify/remove authentication realms
652 * `Realm.AllocateUser`: assign user to a realm
653 * `User.Modify`: create/modify/remove user access and details.
655 Virtual machine related privileges::
657 * `VM.Allocate`: create/remove VM on a server
658 * `VM.Migrate`: migrate VM to alternate server on cluster
659 * `VM.PowerMgmt`: power management (start, stop, reset, shutdown, ...)
660 * `VM.Console`: console access to VM
661 * `VM.Monitor`: access to VM monitor (kvm)
662 * `VM.Backup`: backup/restore VMs
663 * `VM.Audit`: view VM config
664 * `VM.Clone`: clone/copy a VM
665 * `VM.Config.Disk`: add/modify/remove disks
666 * `VM.Config.CDROM`: eject/change CD-ROM
667 * `VM.Config.CPU`: modify CPU settings
668 * `VM.Config.Memory`: modify memory settings
669 * `VM.Config.Network`: add/modify/remove network devices
670 * `VM.Config.HWType`: modify emulated hardware types
671 * `VM.Config.Options`: modify any other VM configuration
672 * `VM.Snapshot`: create/delete VM snapshots
674 Storage related privileges::
676 * `Datastore.Allocate`: create/modify/remove a datastore and delete volumes
677 * `Datastore.AllocateSpace`: allocate space on a datastore
678 * `Datastore.AllocateTemplate`: allocate/upload templates and ISO images
679 * `Datastore.Audit`: view/browse a datastore
685 Access permissions are assigned to objects, such as virtual machines,
686 storages or resource pools.
687 We use file system like paths to address these objects. These paths form a
688 natural tree, and permissions of higher levels (shorter paths) can
689 optionally be propagated down within this hierarchy.
691 [[pveum_templated_paths]]
692 Paths can be templated. When an API call requires permissions on a
693 templated path, the path may contain references to parameters of the API
694 call. These references are specified in curly braces. Some parameters are
695 implicitly taken from the API call's URI. For instance, the permission path
696 `/nodes/{node}` when calling '/nodes/mynode/status' requires permissions on
697 `/nodes/mynode`, while the path `{path}` in a PUT request to `/access/acl`
698 refers to the method's `path` parameter.
702 * `/nodes/{node}`: Access to {pve} server machines
703 * `/vms`: Covers all VMs
704 * `/vms/{vmid}`: Access to specific VMs
705 * `/storage/{storeid}`: Access to a specific storage
706 * `/pool/{poolname}`: Access to resources contained in a specific <<pveum_pools,pool>>
707 * `/access/groups`: Group administration
708 * `/access/realms/{realmid}`: Administrative access to realms
714 As mentioned earlier, object paths form a file system like tree, and
715 permissions can be inherited by objects down that tree (the propagate flag is
716 set by default). We use the following inheritance rules:
718 * Permissions for individual users always replace group permissions.
719 * Permissions for groups apply when the user is member of that group.
720 * Permissions on deeper levels replace those inherited from an upper level.
722 Additionally, privilege separated tokens can never have permissions on any
723 given path that their associated user does not have.
729 Pools can be used to group a set of virtual machines and datastores. You can
730 then simply set permissions on pools (`/pool/{poolid}`), which are inherited by
731 all pool members. This is a great way to simplify access control.
734 Which Permissions Do I Need?
735 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
737 The required API permissions are documented for each individual
738 method, and can be found at https://pve.proxmox.com/pve-docs/api-viewer/.
740 The permissions are specified as a list, which can be interpreted as a
741 tree of logic and access-check functions:
743 `["and", <subtests>...]` and `["or", <subtests>...]`::
744 Each(`and`) or any(`or`) further element in the current list has to be true.
746 `["perm", <path>, [ <privileges>... ], <options>...]`::
747 The `path` is a templated parameter (see
748 <<pveum_templated_paths,Objects and Paths>>). All (or, if the `any`
749 option is used, any) of the listed
750 privileges must be allowed on the specified path. If a `require-param`
751 option is specified, then its specified parameter is required even if the
752 API call's schema otherwise lists it as being optional.
754 `["userid-group", [ <privileges>... ], <options>...]`::
755 The caller must have any of the listed privileges on `/access/groups`. In
756 addition, there are two possible checks, depending on whether the
757 `groups_param` option is set:
759 * `groups_param` is set: The API call has a non-optional `groups` parameter
760 and the caller must have any of the listed privileges on all of the listed
762 * `groups_param` is not set: The user passed via the `userid` parameter
763 must exist and be part of a group on which the caller has any of the listed
764 privileges (via the `/access/groups/<group>` path).
766 `["userid-param", "self"]`::
767 The value provided for the API call's `userid` parameter must refer to the
768 user performing the action (usually in conjunction with `or`, to allow
769 users to perform an action on themselves, even if they don't have elevated
772 `["userid-param", "Realm.AllocateUser"]`::
773 The user needs `Realm.AllocateUser` access to `/access/realm/<realm>`, with
774 `<realm>` referring to the realm of the user passed via the `userid`
775 parameter. Note that the user does not need to exist in order to be
776 associated with a realm, since user IDs are passed in the form of
777 `<username>@<realm>`.
779 `["perm-modify", <path>]`::
780 The `path` is a templated parameter (see
781 <<pveum_templated_paths,Objects and Paths>>). The user needs either the
782 `Permissions.Modify` privilege or,
783 depending on the path, the following privileges as a possible substitute:
785 * `/storage/...`: additionally requires 'Datastore.Allocate`
786 * `/vms/...`: additionally requires 'VM.Allocate`
787 * `/pool/...`: additionally requires 'Pool.Allocate`
789 If the path is empty, `Permission.Modify` on `/access` is required.
794 Most users will simply use the GUI to manage users. But there is also
795 a fully featured command line tool called `pveum` (short for ``**P**roxmox
796 **VE** **U**ser **M**anager''). Please note that all Proxmox VE command
797 line tools are wrappers around the API, so you can also access those
798 functions through the REST API.
800 Here are some simple usage examples. To show help, type:
805 or (to show detailed help about a specific command)
813 pveum user add testuser@pve -comment "Just a test"
815 Set or change the password (not all realms support this):
818 pveum passwd testuser@pve
823 pveum user modify testuser@pve -enable 0
828 pveum group add testgroup
833 pveum role add PVE_Power-only -privs "VM.PowerMgmt VM.Console"
843 It is possible that an administrator would want to create a group of users with
844 full administrator rights (without using the root account).
846 To do this, first define the group:
849 pveum group add admin -comment "System Administrators"
851 Then assign the role:
854 pveum acl modify / -group admin -role Administrator
856 Finally, you can add users to the new 'admin' group:
859 pveum user modify testuser@pve -group admin
865 You can give read only access to users by assigning the `PVEAuditor`
866 role to users or groups.
868 Example 1: Allow user `joe@pve` to see everything
871 pveum acl modify / -user joe@pve -role PVEAuditor
873 Example 2: Allow user `joe@pve` to see all virtual machines
876 pveum acl modify /vms -user joe@pve -role PVEAuditor
879 Delegate User Management
880 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
882 If you want to delegate user management to user `joe@pve`, you can do
886 pveum acl modify /access -user joe@pve -role PVEUserAdmin
888 User `joe@pve` can now add and remove users, and change other user attributes,
889 such as passwords. This is a very powerful role, and you most
890 likely want to limit it to selected realms and groups. The following
891 example allows `joe@pve` to modify users within the realm `pve`, if they
892 are members of group `customers`:
895 pveum acl modify /access/realm/pve -user joe@pve -role PVEUserAdmin
896 pveum acl modify /access/groups/customers -user joe@pve -role PVEUserAdmin
898 NOTE: The user is able to add other users, but only if they are
899 members of the group `customers` and within the realm `pve`.
901 Limited API Token for Monitoring
902 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
904 Permissions on API tokens are always a subset of those of their corresponding
905 user, meaning that an API token can't be used to carry out a task that the
906 backing user has no permission to do. This section will demonstrate how you can
907 use an API token with separate privileges, to limit the token owner's
910 Give the user `joe@pve` the role PVEVMAdmin on all VMs:
913 pveum acl modify /vms -user joe@pve -role PVEVMAdmin
915 Add a new API token with separate privileges, which is only allowed to view VM
916 information (for example, for monitoring purposes):
919 pveum user token add joe@pve monitoring -privsep 1
920 pveum acl modify /vms -token 'joe@pve!monitoring' -role PVEAuditor
922 Verify the permissions of the user and token:
925 pveum user permissions joe@pve
926 pveum user token permissions joe@pve monitoring
931 An enterprise is usually structured into several smaller departments, and it is
932 common that you want to assign resources and delegate management tasks to each
933 of these. Let's assume that you want to set up a pool for a software development
934 department. First, create a group:
937 pveum group add developers -comment "Our software developers"
939 Now we create a new user which is a member of that group:
942 pveum user add developer1@pve -group developers -password
944 NOTE: The "-password" parameter will prompt you for a password
946 Then we create a resource pool for our development department to use:
949 pveum pool add dev-pool --comment "IT development pool"
951 Finally, we can assign permissions to that pool:
954 pveum acl modify /pool/dev-pool/ -group developers -role PVEAdmin
956 Our software developers can now administer the resources assigned to
961 include::pve-copyright.adoc[]