PWD_MKDB(8)                                           PWD_MKDB(8)


NAME
       pwd_mkdb - generate the password databases

SYNOPSIS
       pwd_mkdb [ -p ] file

DESCRIPTION
       Pwdmkdb 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/password''.

       The  two  databases differ in that the secure version con-
       tains the user's encrypted password and the insecure  ver-
       sion has an asterisk (``*'')

       The  databases are used by the C library password routines
       (see getpwent(3)).

       Pwdmkdb exits zero on success, non-zero on failure.

FILES
       /var/db/pwd.db           The  insecure  password  database
       file
       /var/db/pwd.db.tmp       A temporary file
       /var/db/spwd.db          The secure password database file
       /var/db/spwd.db.tmp      A temporary file
       /etc/master.passwd       The current password file
       /etc/passwd              A Version 7 format password file

BUGS
       Because of the necessity for atomic update of the password
       files,  pwdmkdb  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'' direc-
       tory.

       There are the obvious races with multiple  people  running
       pwdmkdb  on  different  password  files at the same time.
       The  front-ends  to  pwdmkdb,  chpass(1),  passwd(1)  and
       vipw(8),  handle the locking necessary to avoid this prob-
       lem.

COMPATIBILITY
       Previous versions of the system had a program  similar  to



                          June 29, 1991                         1

PWD_MKDB(8)                                           PWD_MKDB(8)


       pwdmkdb, 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)
















































                          June 29, 1991                         2