.\" Copyright (c) 1991, 1993
.\" The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
.\" %sccs.include.redist.roff%
.\" @(#)pwd_mkdb.8 8.1 (Berkeley) %G%
.Nd "generate the password databases"
style secure and insecure databases for the specified file.
These databases are then installed into
The file is installed into
.Dq Pa /etc/master.passwd .
The file must be in the correct format (see
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:
Create a Version 7 style password file and install it into
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
exits zero on success, non-zero on failure.
.Bl -tag -width Pa -compact
The insecure password database file.
.It Pa /var/db/pwd.db.tmp
The secure password database file.
.It Pa /var/db/spwd.db.tmp
.It Pa /etc/master.passwd
The current password file.
A Version 7 format password file.
Because of the necessity for atomic update of the password files,
This, however, requires that the file specified on the command line live
on the same file system as the
There are the obvious races with multiple people running
on different password files at the same time.
handle the locking necessary to avoid this problem.
Previous versions of the system had a program similar to
style databases for the password file but depended on the calling programs
The program was renamed in order that previous users of the program
not be surprised by the changes in functionality.
projects / unix-history / blob