config files are a bandaid Sorry I am a bit confused, are you want me to use the config files or not? They actively prevent learning - config files are a bandaid, although pam, like selinux, fstab, crypttab are painful ones to make a mistake in but the good news is often fixing them is booting into a live cd and changing it, so make backups. My goal is to get my life in order, not to become a half sysadmin. So I want the safest and most reliable solution to solve my problems