update-passwd

UPDATE-PASSWD(8)            System Manager's Manual           UPDATE-PASSWD(8)

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

SYNOPSIS
       update-passwd [options]

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  op-
       tions 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

ENVIRONMENT
       DEBIAN_HAS_FRONTEND
              If  this environment variable is sent and the --dry-run flag was
              not given, update-passwd uses debconf to prompt for  whether  to
              make  changes.   Each  proposed  change  will produce a separate
              prompt.  User or group removals, UID or GID  changes,  and  home
              directory  changes  will  be  asked with high priority.  User or
              group additions and shell changes will be asked with medium pri-
              ority.   Questions  about  whether to move entries above the NIS
              compat inclusion entry or whether to change the GECOS of a  user
              are asked at low priority.

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@debian.org>

       This  program  was  written  for  the  Debian project, and is copyright
       1999-2002 Wichert Akkerman and copyright 2002, 2003 Colin  Watson.   It
       is distributed under version 2 of the GNU General Public License.

DEBIAN                           Debian tools                 UPDATE-PASSWD(8)