PWD_MKDB(8) BSD System Manager's Manual PWD_MKDB(8)
pwd_mkdb - generate the password databases
pwd_mkdb [-c] [-p | -s] [-d directory] [-u username] file
pwd_mkdb creates db(3) style secure and insecure databases for the speci-
fied file. These databases are then installed into /etc/spwd.db and
/etc/pwd.db, respectively. The file argument is installed into
/etc/master.passwd by renaming file. The file must be in the correct for-
mat (see passwd(5)). It is important to note that the format used in this
system is different from the historic 6th Edition-style format.
The options are as follows:
-c Check if the password file is in the correct format. Do not
change, add, or remove any files.
-p Create a 6th Edition-style password file and install it into
/etc/passwd.
-s Only update the secure version of the database. This is most com-
monly used in conjunction with the -u flag during a password
change. Because the insecure database doesn't contain the pass-
word there is no reason to update it if the only change is in the
password field. Cannot be used in conjunction with the -p flag.
-d directory
Operate in a base directory other than the default of /etc. All
absolute paths (including file) will be made relative to
directory. Any directories specified as a part of file will be
stripped off. This option is used to create password databases in
directories other than etc; for instance in a chroot(8) jail.
-u username
Only update the record for the specified user. Utilities that
operate on a single user can use this option to avoid the over-
head of rebuilding the entire database. This option must never be
used if the line number of the user's record in
/etc/master.passwd has changed.
file The absolute path to a file in master.passwd format, as described
in passwd(5).
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.
/etc/master.passwd current password file
/etc/passwd a 6th Edition-style password file
/etc/pwd.db insecure password database file
/etc/pwd.db.tmp temporary file
/etc/spwd.db secure password database file
/etc/spwd.db.tmp temporary file
chpass(1), passwd(1), db(3), getpwent(3), passwd(5), vipw(8)
Previous versions of the system had a program similar to pwd_mkdb,
mkpasswd, 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.
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 filesystem as the
/etc directory.
There are the obvious races with multiple people running pwd_mkdb on dif-
ferent 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.
MirBSD #10-current June 6, 1993 1