NAME

yppasswdd - daemon for modifying Yellow Pages passwd
            database

SYNOPSIS

/usr/etc/rpc.yppasswdd passwd_file [ -l log_file ] \
                       [ −m [ arg1 arg2 ... ] ]

DESCRIPTION

The yppasswdd daemon handles password change requests from yppasswd(1). It changes a password entry in passwd_file, which must be in the format of passwd(4). The change is made only if the old password provided by yppasswd(1) matches the encrypted password of that entry.

The yppasswdd daemon should be executed only on the master Yellow Pages (YP) server for the passwd database (map).  The yppasswdd daemon is not executed by default, nor can it be started by inetd(1M). To enable automatic startup of yppasswdd, the entry for yppasswdd in the file /etc/netnfsrc should be uncommented (and modified if needed) on the master YP server. 

Options

−l log_file
Log diagnostic and error messages to the named log file, log_file.  These messages are unavailable if yppasswdd is started without the -l option.  The information logged to the file includes the date and time of the message, the host name, process id and name of the function generating the message, and the message itself. Note that different services can share a single log file since enough information is included to uniquely identify each message.

−m [ arg1 arg2 ... ]
After passwd_file is modified and if using the −m option, yppasswdd executes ypmake(1M) to update the YP passwd database.  Any arguments following the −m flag are passed to ypmake(1M). It is suggested that you always use the -m option to yppasswdd, but do not use the NOPUSH=1 argument to ypmake(1M).  This will ensure that the passwd map is rebuilt to contain the new password, and all slave YP servers will have their passwd maps updated to include the change. 

EXAMPLES

Assume the yppasswdd daemon is started on the master YP server as follows:

/usr/etc/rpc.yppasswdd /etc/yp/src/passwd \
                       −l /usr/adm/yppasswdd.log \
                       −m passwd DIR=/etc/yp/src

This indicates that the ASCII file from which the YP passwd database is built is /etc/yp/src/passwd. When this file is updated by a request from yppasswd(1), the YP passwd database is rebuilt and copied to all slave YP servers in the master’s YP domain (see domainname(1)).

Log messages are written to the file /usr/adm/yppasswdd.log. 

WARNINGS

The yppasswdd daemon uses a lock file, /etc/ptmp, to get exclusive access to passwd_file when updating it.  The file /etc/ptmp may persist if passwd_file is being updated and

- the system crashes or

- yppasswdd is killed using SIGKILL (see kill(1) and signal(2)).

The file /etc/ptmp must be removed before yppasswdd can function properly again.  The vipw(1M) command also uses /etc/ptmp when updating /etc/passwd. As a result, yppasswdd competes with vipw(1M) when it updates passwd_file, if passwd_file=/etc/passwd. 

AUTHOR

Sun Microsystems, Inc. 

FILES

/etc/ptmp lock file used when updating passwd_file

SEE ALSO

domainname(1), yppasswd(1), vipw(1M), ypmake(1M), yppasswd(3N), passwd(4), ypfiles(4). 

INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT

8-bit data, messages

Hewlett-Packard Company  —  May 11, 2021