NAME

passwd, chfn, chsh − change password file information

SYNOPSIS

passwd [ −fs ] [ −F filename ] [ username ]

chfn [ −f ] [ −F filename ] [ username ]

chsh [ −s ] [ −F filename ] [ username ]

DESCRIPTION

passwd changes (or installs) a password, login shell (−s option), or full name (−f option) associated with the user username (your own by default).  chsh is equivalent to passwd with the −s option, and chfn is equivalent to passwd with the −f option. 

When changing a password, passwd prompts for the old password and then for the new one.  You must supply both, and the new password must be typed twice to forestall mistakes. 

New passwords should be at least five characters long, if they combine upper-case and lower-case letters, or at least six characters long if in monocase.  Users that persist in entering shorter passwords are compromising their own security. The number of significant characters in a password is eight, although longer passwords will be accepted. 

Only the owner of the name or the super-user may change a password; the owner must prove he knows the old password. 

When changing a login shell, passwd displays the current login shell and then prompts for the new one.  The new login shell must be one of the approved shells listed in /etc/shells unless you are the super-user.  If /etc/shells does not exist, the only shells that may be specified are /bin/sh and /bin/csh. 

The super-user may change anyone’s login shell; normal users may only change their own login shell. 

When changing a full name, passwd displays the current full name, enclosed between brackets, and prompts for a new full name.  If you type a carriage return, the full name is not changed.  If the full name is to be made blank, you must type the word “none”. 

The super-user may change anyone’s full name; normal users may only change their own. 

Use yppasswd(1) to change your password in the network Yellow Pages.  This will not affect your local password, or your password on any remote machines on which you have accounts.  On Sun386i systems, passwd calls yppasswd automatically if you do not have an entry in the local passwd file. 

OPTIONS

−s Change the login shell. 

−f Change the full name. 

−F filename
Treat filename as the password file. 

FILES

/etc/passwd file containing all of this information

/etc/shells The list of approved shells

SEE ALSO

finger(1), login(1), yppasswd(1), crypt(3), passwd(5),

BUGS

passwd changes a local password, but not a password in the network Yellow Pages.  Refer to yppasswd(1) for information on how to change a YP password. 

There is no way to change the login shell or the full name in the Yellow Pages. 

Sun Release 4.0  —  Last change: 18 February 1988