diff --git a/lib/authentication/Authenticator.inc b/lib/authentication/Authenticator.inc
index 860143b..f12baf7 100644
--- a/lib/authentication/Authenticator.inc
+++ b/lib/authentication/Authenticator.inc
@@ -18,79 +18,50 @@ class Authenticator {
     /**
      * Verifies the login credentials
      *
-     * @param userName  
-     *        the user name of the user logging in
-     * @param password  
-     *        the user's password
-     * @return array containing user details (userName, userID, groupID)
-     *         and authentication status code
+     * @param userName         the user name of the user logging in
+     * @param password         the user's password
+     * @return array containing userID and authentication status code
      */
     function login($userName, $password) {
-        // TODO: create session, add user details to the session
         global $default, $lang_err_database;
+        // initialise return array
+        $userDetails = array();
+        
         if ($this->checkPassword($userName, $password)) {
-            // retrieve user details from the database and return
-            /*
-            $userID = lookupID($default->owl_users_table, "username", "'$userName'");
-            $userDetails = UserManager::getUserDetails($userID);
-            if (!$userDetails) {
-                // we don't have a session yet, so return a general error message
-                $userDetails["status"] = -1;
-            }
-            */
-            // FIXME: remove when user manager method coded
-            $sql = new Owl_DB(); 
-            $query = "select * from $default->owl_users_table where username = '$userName'";
-            $sql->query($query);
-            $numrows = $sql->num_rows($sql);
-            if ($numrows == "1") {
-                while($sql->next_record()) {
-                    if ( $sql->f("disabled") == 1 ) {  
-                        $userDetails["status"]       = 2;
-                    } else {
-                        $userDetails["status"]       = 1;
-                        $userDetails["userID"]      = $sql->f("id");
-                        $userDetails["username"]     = $sql->f("username");
-                        $userDetails["max_sessions"] = $sql->f("max_sessions") + 1;
-                    }
-                }
-                
-                // retrieve user groups
-                $sql = new Owl_DB; 
-                $query = "select group_id from $default->owl_users_groups_table where user_id = " . $userDetails["userID"];
-                $sql->query($query);
-                $userDetails["groupID"] = array();
-                while($sql->next_record()) {
-                    $userDetails["groupID"][] = $sql->f("group_id");
-                    if (!isset($userDetails["unitID"])) {
-                        $userDetails["unitID"] = lookupID($default->owl_groups_units_table, "group_id", $sql->f("group_id"));
-                        $userDetails["organisationID"] = lookupField($default->owl_units_table, "organisation_id", "id", $userDetails["unitID"]);
-                    }
-                }
-            // FIXME: remove when user manager method coded
-                    
+            // retrieve the userID
+            $userID = lookupID($default->owl_users_table, "username", "$userName");
+            $default->log->info("Authenticator::login authenticated user, id=$userID");
+            if ($userID) {
+                // add this to the return array
+                $userDetails["userID"] = $userID;
+                $default->log->info("Authenticator::login authenticated user, userDetails[userID]=" . $userDetails["userID"]);
                 // remove stale sessions from the database for the user
                 // that is signing on.
                 Session::removeStaleSessions($userDetails["userID"]);
                 
-                
                 // Check if Maxsessions has been reached
+                // lookup maxsessions
+                $maxSessions = lookupField($default->owl_users_table, "max_sessions", "id", $userID);
                 $sql = new Owl_DB;
                 if ($sql->query("SELECT * FROM $default->owl_sessions_table WHERE user_id = '".$userDetails["user_id"]."'")) {
-                    if ($sql->num_rows($sql) >= $userDetails["max_sessions"]) {
-                        // FIXME: change for multiple groups
-                        if ( $userDetails["groupID"] == 0) {
-                            // ignore maxsessions check for admin group
-                            $userDetails["status"] = 1;
-                        } else {
-                            // return too many sessions status code
-                            $userDetails["status"] = 3;
-                        }
+                    if ($sql->num_rows($sql) >= $maxSessions) {
+                        // return too many sessions status code
+                        $userDetails["status"] = 3;
+                    } else {
+                        // authenticated successfully
+                        $userDetails["status"] = 1;
                     }
+                    // FIXME: account disabled status???
                 } else {
+                    // db access failed
                     $_SESSION["errorMessage"] = $lang_err_database;
+                    $userDetails["status"] = 0;
                 }
-            }            
+            } else {
+                // db access failed
+                $_SESSION["errorMessage"] = $lang_err_database;
+                $userDetails["status"] = 0;
+            }
         } else {
             // authentication failed
             $userDetails["status"] = 0;