NAME
pwd_mkdb —
generate the password
databases
SYNOPSIS
pwd_mkdb |
[-p] file |
DESCRIPTION
Pwd_mkdb creates
db(3)
style secure and insecure databases for the specified file. These databases
are then installed into “/etc/spwd.db”
and “/etc/pwd.db” respectively. The file
is installed into “/etc/master.passwd”.
The file must be in the correct format (see
passwd(5)). It is important to note that the format used in this system
is different from the historic Version 7 style format.
The options are as follows:
-p- Create a Version 7 style password file and install it into “/etc/passwd”.
The two databases differ in that the secure version contains the user's encrypted password and the insecure version has an asterisk (``*'')
The databases are used by the C library password routines (see getpwent(3)).
Pwd_mkdb exits zero on success, non-zero
on failure.
FILES
- /etc/master.passwd
- The current password file.
- /etc/passwd
- A Version 7 format password file.
- /etc/pwd.db
- The insecure password database file.
- /etc/pwd.db.tmp
- A temporary file.
- /etc/spwd.db
- The secure password database file.
- /etc/spwd.db.tmp
- A temporary file.
BUGS
Because of the necessity for atomic update of the password files,
pwd_mkdb uses
rename(2) to install them. This, however, requires that the file
specified on the command line live on the same file system as the
“/etc” directory.
There are the obvious races with multiple people running
pwd_mkdb on different password files at the same
time. The front-ends to pwd_mkdb,
chpass(1),
passwd(1) and
vipw(8), handle the locking necessary to avoid this problem.
COMPATIBILITY
Previous versions of the system had a program similar to
pwd_mkdb,
mkpasswd(8), which built
dbm(3) style databases for the password file but depended on the
calling programs to install them. The program was renamed in order that
previous users of the program not be surprised by the changes in
functionality.
SEE ALSO
chpass(1), passwd(1), db(3), getpwent(3), passwd(5), vipw(8)