diff --git a/src/backend/libpq/password.c b/src/backend/libpq/password.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..b9ec4d55cc6812afe572c5d8218096c16a6e1796
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/backend/libpq/password.c
@@ -0,0 +1,107 @@
+#include <postgres.h>
+#include <libpq/password.h>
+#include <libpq/hba.h>
+#include <libpq/libpq.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+
+int
+verify_password(char *user, char *password, Port *port, 
+		char *database, char *DataDir)
+{
+    bool host_ok;
+    enum Userauth userauth;
+    char pw_file_name[PWFILE_NAME_SIZE+1];
+
+    char *pw_file_fullname;
+    FILE *pw_file;
+
+    char pw_file_line[255];
+    char *p, *test_user, *test_pw;
+    char salt[3];
+
+    find_hba_entry(DataDir, port->raddr.sin_addr, database, 
+		   &host_ok, &userauth, pw_file_name, true);
+
+    if(!host_ok) {
+	sprintf(PQerrormsg,
+		"verify_password: couldn't find entry for connecting host\n");
+	fputs(PQerrormsg, stderr);
+	pqdebug("%s", PQerrormsg);	
+	return STATUS_ERROR;
+    }
+
+    if(userauth != Password) {
+	sprintf(PQerrormsg,
+		"verify_password: couldn't find entry of type 'password' "
+		"for this host\n");
+	fputs(PQerrormsg, stderr);
+	pqdebug("%s", PQerrormsg);	
+	return STATUS_ERROR;
+    }
+
+    if(!pw_file_name || pw_file_name[0] == '\0') {
+	sprintf(PQerrormsg,
+		"verify_password: no password file specified\n");
+	fputs(PQerrormsg, stderr);
+	pqdebug("%s", PQerrormsg);	
+	return STATUS_ERROR;
+    }
+
+    pw_file_fullname = (char *)malloc(strlen(DataDir) + strlen(pw_file_name) + 2);
+    strcpy(pw_file_fullname, DataDir);
+    strcat(pw_file_fullname, "/");
+    strcat(pw_file_fullname, pw_file_name);
+
+    pw_file = fopen(pw_file_fullname, "r");
+    if(!pw_file) {
+	sprintf(PQerrormsg,
+		"verify_password: couldn't open password file '%s'\n",
+		pw_file_fullname);
+	fputs(PQerrormsg, stderr);
+	pqdebug("%s", PQerrormsg);	
+	return STATUS_ERROR;
+    }
+
+    while(!feof(pw_file)) {
+	fgets(pw_file_line, 255, pw_file);
+	p = pw_file_line;
+
+	test_user = strsep(&p, ":");
+	test_pw = p;
+	if(!test_user || !test_pw ||
+	   test_user[0] == '\0' || test_pw[0] == '\0') {
+	    continue;
+	}
+
+	/* kill the newline */
+	test_pw[strlen(test_pw)-1] = '\0';
+
+	strncpy(salt, test_pw, 2);
+	salt[2] = '\0';
+
+	if(strcmp(user, test_user) == 0) {
+	    /* we're outta here one way or the other. */
+	    fclose(pw_file);
+
+	    if(strcmp(crypt(password, salt), test_pw) == 0) {
+		/* it matched. */
+		return STATUS_OK;
+	    }
+
+	    sprintf(PQerrormsg, 
+		    "verify_password: password mismatch for '%s'.\n",
+		    user);
+	    fputs(PQerrormsg, stderr);
+	    pqdebug("%s", PQerrormsg);	
+	    return STATUS_ERROR;
+	}
+    }
+
+    sprintf(PQerrormsg, 
+	    "verify_password: user '%s' not found in password file.\n",
+	    user);
+    fputs(PQerrormsg, stderr);
+    pqdebug("%s", PQerrormsg);	
+    return STATUS_ERROR;
+}
diff --git a/src/include/libpq/password.h b/src/include/libpq/password.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..f6b6214095077d586f6cd1667904a02fe25ea4e2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/include/libpq/password.h
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+#ifndef PASSWORD_H
+#define PASSWORD_H
+
+#include <libpq/hba.h>
+#include <libpq/pqcomm.h>
+
+#define PWFILE_NAME_SIZE USERMAP_NAME_SIZE
+
+int verify_password(char *user, char *password, Port *port, 
+		    char *database, char *DataDir);
+
+#endif