The GINA (or MS-GINA DLL) is the graphical identification and authentication library, which provides secure authentication and login services on some Microsoft Windows operating systems.
Overview
Winlogon is the component responsible for handling the default secure attention key, loading the user profile on logon, and optionally locking the computer when a screensaver is running (requiring another authentication step). The actual obtaining and verification of user credentials is left to the GINA.
A default GINA library is provided by Microsoft as part of the operating system, and offers authentication against Windows ___domain servers with a supplied user name/password combination. Winlogon can be configured to use a different GINA, providing for non-standard authentication methods, such as smart card readers or identification based on biometrics.
Version support
GINA is used with Windows NT 4, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. In Windows Vista and later operating systems, GINA has been entirely replaced by Credential Providers, which allows for significantly more flexibility in supporting multiple credential collection methods.
The Windows 95 family and earlier did not have a mandatory logon of this form.
Exported Functions
| Function name | Ordinal | Function name | Ordinal |
| ShellShutdownDialog | 29 | WlxActivateUserShell | 30 |
| WlxDisconnectNotify | 31 | WlxDisplayLockedNotice | 32 |
| WlxDisplaySASNotice | 33 | WlxDisplayStatusMessage | 34 |
| WlxGetConsoleSwitchCredentials | 35 | WlxInitialize | 37 |
| WlxIsLockOk | 38 | WlxIsLogoffOk | 39 |
| WlxLoggedOnSAS | 40 | WlxLoggedOutSAS | 41 |
| WlxLogoff | 42 | WlxNegotiate | 43 |
| WlxNetworkProviderLoad | 44 | WlxReconnectNotify | 45 |
| WlxRemoveStatusMessage | 46 | WlxScreenSaverNotify | 47 |
| WlxShutdown | 48 | WlxStartApplication | 49 |
| WlxWkstaLockedSAS | 50 |
External links
- Winlogon and GINA, developer information on how the login components interact
- Customizing Gina Tutorial, developer tutorial for developing ones own GINA.