--- /dev/null
+Host configuration
+==================
+
+All hosts running Kerberos software, whether they are clients,
+application servers, or KDCs, can be configured using
+:ref:`krb5.conf(5)`. Here we describe some of the behavior changes
+you might want to make.
+
+
+.. _plugin_config:
+
+Plugin module configuration
+---------------------------
+
+Many aspects of Kerberos behavior, such as client preauthentication
+and KDC service location, can be modified through the use of plugin
+modules. For most of these behaviors, you can use the :ref:`plugins`
+section of krb5.conf to register third-party modules, and to switch
+off registered or built-in modules.
+
+A plugin module takes the form of a Unix shared object
+(``modname.so``) or Windows DLL (``modname.dll``). If you have
+installed a third-party plugin module and want to register it, you do
+so using the **module** directive in the appropriate subsection of the
+[plugins] section. For example, to register a client
+preauthentication plugin for one-time password authentication
+installed at ``/path/to/otp.so``, you could write::
+
+ [plugins]
+ clpreauth = {
+ module = /path/to/otp.so
+ }
+
+Many of the pluggable behaviors in MIT krb5 contain built-in modules
+which can be switched off. You can disable a built-in module (or one
+you have registered) using the **disable** directive in the
+appropriate subsection of the [plugins] section. For example, to
+disable the use of .k5identity files to select credential caches, you
+could write::
+
+ [plugins]
+ ccselect = {
+ disable = k5identity
+ }
+
+If you want to disable multiple modules, specify the **disable**
+directive multiple times, giving one module to disable each time.
+
+Alternatively, you can explicitly specify which modules you want to be
+enabled for that behavior using the **enable_only** directive. For
+example, to make :ref:`kadmind(8)` check password quality using only a
+module you have registered, and no other mechanism, you could write::
+
+ [plugins]
+ pwqual = {
+ module = /path/to/mymodule.so
+ enable_only = mymodule
+ }
+
+Again, if you want to specify multiple modules, specify the
+**enable_only** directive multiple times, giving one module to enable
+each time.
+
+Some Kerberos interfaces use different mechanisms to register plugin
+modules.
+
+
+KDC location modules
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+For historical reasons, modules to control how KDC servers are located
+are registered simply by placing the shared object or DLL into the
+"libkrb5" subdirectory of the krb5 plugin directory, which defaults to
+``/usr/local/lib/krb5/plugins``. For example, Samba's winbind krb5
+locator plugin would be registered by placing its shared object in
+``/usr/local/lib/krb5/plugins/libkrb5/winbind_krb5_locator.so``.
+
+
+GSSAPI mechanism modules
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+GSSAPI mechanism module are registered using the file
+``/etc/gss/mech``. Each line in this file has the form::
+
+ oid pathname [options]
+
+where *oid* is the object identifier of the GSSAPI mechanism to be
+registered, *pathname* is a path to the module shared object or DLL,
+and *options* (if present) are options provided to the plugin module,
+surrounded in square brackets.
+
+
+Configuration profile modules
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+A configuration profile module replaces the information source for
+:ref:`krb5.conf(5)` itself. To use a profile module, begin krb5.conf
+with the line::
+
+ module PATHNAME:STRING
+
+where *PATHNAME* is a path to the module shared object or DLL, and
+*STRING* is a string to provide to the module. The module will then
+take over, and the rest of krb5.conf will be ignored.