TIMEKPR(8)

TIMEKPR
timekpr - keep control of computer usage

SYNOPSIS
timekpr

DESCRIPTION
timekpr tracks and controls the computer usage of user accounts. Using timekpr-gui(8), the administrator can limit daily usage per user by configuring

.   a daytime range (e.g. from 8am to 7pm) when to user is allowed to work.

.   an elapsed time (e.g. 90 minutes) the user is allowed to work per day.

timekpr allows users to login or to stay logged in only as long as both limits are met. As long as a user hasn't any limits configured, timekpr does not do any monitoring or other actions on that user. To disallow logins outside the defined daytime range, timekpr relies on the settings in the configuration file for the time PAM-Module entered by timekpr-gui. To disallow users to stay logged in over the defined daytime range, or to stay logged in over the defined elapsed time, timekpr checks the process tree at regular intervals. When a certain user is logged in, the file /var/lib/timekpr/<username>.time is updated to contain the new elapsed time. This time is then checked against the total allowed (stored in /etc/timekpr/<username> ). When timekpr discovers a user violating its limits, the user is warned and given a grace period to save his work. After this grace period, the user is kicked out by killing its processes. In addition, the file /var/lib/timekpr/<username>.logout is touched to state the fact that the user has been logged out forcibly by timekpr. When the user tries to login again (within its daytime range, but all elapsed time used up), it is kicked out immediately and then locked by editing the config file for the access PAM-Module. Now the user cannot login any more.

FILES
/etc/timekpr.conf
    The system wide configuration file. See timekpr.conf(5) for further details.
/etc/security/time.conf /etc/security/access.conf
    The system wide PAM Configuration files for the time and and access modules.

DIAGNOSTICS
The logfile is quite verbose: /var/log/timekpr.log

BUGS
timekpr is in an early development stage. Please check https://bugs.launchpad.net/timekpr/+bugs

AUTHORS
Chris Jackson wrote the original bash script. Even Nedberg and Savvas Radevic wrote the current python implementation. Nicolas Iselin wrote this manpage.

SEE ALSO
timekpr.conf(5), timekpr-gui(8), The Linux-PAM guide for system administrators (modules access and limits)