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 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

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 addi‐
              tions and shell changes will  be  asked  with  medium  priority.   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 AT debian.org>

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



DEBIAN                                     Debian tools                          UPDATE-PASSWD(8)