PWD_MKDB(8)                    1991                   PWD_MKDB(8)


NAME
       pwd_mkdb - generate the password databases

SYNOPSIS
       pwdmkdb [ -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/password''.

       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
       /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,  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



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PWD_MKDB(8)                    1991                   PWD_MKDB(8)


       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)
















































29,                            June                             2