Attribute

AuthenticationMethod (AM)

Purpose

Specifies the method the driver uses to authenticate the user to the server when a connection is established. If the specified authentication method is not supported by the database server, the connection fails and the driver generates an error.

Valid Values

1 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 36 | 37

Behavior

If set to 1 (Encrypt Password), the driver sends the user ID in clear text and an encrypted password to the server for authentication.

If set to 4 (Kerberos Authentication), the driver uses Kerberos authentication. This method supports both Microsoft Entra Kerberos and MIT Kerberos environments. Setting this value to 4 also enables NTLMv2 and NTLMv1 authentication on Windows platforms. The protocol used for a connection is determined by the local security policy settings for the client.

(UNIX and Linux only) If set to 9 on Linux and UNIX platforms, the driver uses NTLMv1 or NTLMv2 authentication. The driver determines which protocol to use based on the size of the password provided. For passwords 14 bytes or less, the driver uses NTLMv1; otherwise, the driver uses NTLMv2. To connect to the database, users must supply the Windows User Id, Password, and, in some cases, Domain to the driver.

(UNIX and Linux only) If set to 10, the driver uses NTLMv2 authentication. To connect to the database, users must supply the Windows User Id, Password, and, in some cases, Domain to the driver.

If set to 13 (Active Directory Password), the driver authenticates using an Entra ID user name and password when connecting to a Azure SQL Database data store. All communications between the service are encrypted using TLS/SSL.
Important: Before enabling Entra ID Password authentication, see "Microsoft Entra ID Authentication" for requirements and additional information.
If set to 36 (Active Directory Service Principal), the driver authenticates using an Entra ID service principal when establishing a connection to an Azure SQL Database data store. All communications between the service are encrypted using TLS/SSL.
Important: Before enabling Entra ID Service Principal authentication, see "Microsoft Entra ID Authentication" for requirements and additional information.
If set to 37 (Active Directory Manged Identity), the driver authenticates using a managed identity when accessing Azure resources. All communications between the service are encrypted using TLS/SSL.
Important: Before enabling Entra ID Service Managed Identity, see "Microsoft Entra ID Authentication" for requirements and additional information.

Notes

  • NTLM single sign on is supported only on Windows.

Default

1 (Encrypt Password)

GUI Tab

Security tab

See Also

Microsoft Entra ID authentication