NAME    [Toc]    [Back]

     pwd_mkdb - generate the password databases

SYNOPSIS    [Toc]    [Back]

     pwd_mkdb [-c] [-p | -s] [-d directory] [-u username] file

DESCRIPTION    [Toc]    [Back]

     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 argument  is  installed
into
     /etc/master.passwd  by  renaming  file.  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:

     -c      Check if the password file is in the correct format.
Do not
             change, add, or remove any files.

     -p       Create  a Version 7 style password file and install
it into
             /etc/passwd.

     -s      Only update the  secure  version  of  the  database.
This is most
             commonly used in conjunction with the -u flag during
a password
             change.  Because the insecure database doesn't  contain the password
  there  is  no  reason to update it if the only
change is in the
             password field.  Cannot be used in conjunction  with
the -p flag.

     -d directory
             Operate  in  a base directory other than the default
of /etc.  All
             absolute paths (including file) will be  made  relative to
             directory.   Any  directories specified as a part of
file will be
             stripped off.  This option is used to  create  password databases
             in directories other than etc; for instance in a chroot(8) jail.

     -u username
             Only update  the  record  for  the  specified  user.
Utilities that
             operate  on  a  single  user  can use this option to
avoid the overhead
 of rebuilding the entire database.  This option
must never
             be used if the line number of the user's record in
             /etc/master.passwd has changed.

     file    The absolute path to a file in master.passwd format,
as described
             in passwd(5).

     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    [Toc]    [Back]

     /etc/master.passwd  current password file
     /etc/passwd         a Version 7 format password file
     /etc/pwd.db         insecure password database file
     /etc/pwd.db.tmp     temporary file
     /etc/spwd.db        secure password database file
     /etc/spwd.db.tmp    temporary file

SEE ALSO    [Toc]    [Back]

     chpass(1), passwd(1), db(3), getpwent(3), passwd(5), vipw(8)

STANDARDS    [Toc]    [Back]

     Previous versions of the system had  a  program  similar  to
pwd_mkdb,
     mkpasswd,  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.

BUGS    [Toc]    [Back]

     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.

OpenBSD      3.6                           June      6,      1993