update-passwd

safely update /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow and /etc/group

Synopsis

update-passwd [options]

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examples

source

            
  cat /etc/passwd.org > /etc/passwd


  changes=1


  fi


  fi



  tmp=`tempfile`


  if ! update-passwd --dry-run >
  $tmp ; then


  cat <<EOF


  cat <<EOF



  update-passwd has found some differences
  between your system accounts


  and the current Debian defaults. It is advisable
  to allow update-passwd

description

update-passwd handles updates of /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow and /etc/group on running Debian systems. It compares the current files to master copies, distributed in the base-passwd package, and updates all entries in the global system range (that is, 0–99).

options

update-passwd follows the usual GNU command line syntax, with long options starting with two dashes (’-’).
-p, --passwd-master=FILE

Use FILE as the master copy of the passwd database. The default value is /usr/share/base-passwd/passwd.master.

-g, --group-master=FILE

Use FILE as the master copy of the group database. The default value is /usr/share/base-passwd/group.master.

-P, --passwd=FILE

Use FILE as the system passwd database. The default value is /etc/passwd.

-S, --shadow=FILE

Use FILE as the system shadow database. The default value is /etc/shadow.

-G, --group=FILE

Use FILE as the system group database. The default value is /etc/group.

-s, --sanity-check

Only perform sanity-checks but don’t do anything.

-v, --verbose

Give detailed information about what we are doing. A second -v gives additional detail.

-n, --dry-run

Don’t do anything but only show what we would do.

-L, --no-locking

Don’t attempt to lock the account database. This should only be used for debugging purposes. I repeat: do not do this unless you are really sure you need this!

-h, --help

Show a summary of how to use update-passwd.

-V, --version

Show the version number

bugs

At this moment update-passwd does not verify the shadow-file. It should check if the entries in the passwd are also in shadow and vice versa, and that passwords are not present in both files.

author

Wichert Akkerman <wakkerma[:at:]debian[:dot:]org>