.\" Copyright (c) 1991 The Regents of the University of California. .\" All rights reserved. .\" .\" %sccs.include.redist.roff% .\" .\" @(#)pwd_mkdb.8 5.5 (Berkeley) 01/13/93 .\" .Dd .Dt PWD_MKDB 8 .Os .Sh NAME .Nm pwd_mkdb .Nd "generate the password databases" .Sh SYNOPSIS .Nm pwd_mkdb .Op Fl p .Ar file .Sh DESCRIPTION .Nm Pwd_mkdb creates .Xr db 3 style secure and insecure databases for the specified file. These databases are then installed into .Dq Pa /etc/spwd.db and .Dq Pa /etc/pwd.db respectively. The file is installed into .Dq Pa /etc/master.passwd . The file must be in the correct format (see .Xr passwd 5 ) . It is important to note that the format used in this system is different from the historic Version 7 style format. .Pp The options are as follows: .Bl -tag -width flag .It Fl p Create a Version 7 style password file and install it into .Dq Pa /etc/passwd . .El .Pp The two databases differ in that the secure version contains the user's encrypted password and the insecure version has an asterisk (``*'') .Pp The databases are used by the C library password routines (see .Xr getpwent 3 ) . .Pp .Nm Pwd_mkdb exits zero on success, non-zero on failure. .Sh FILES .Bl -tag -width Pa -compact .It Pa /var/db/pwd.db The insecure password database file. .It Pa /var/db/pwd.db.tmp A temporary file. .It Pa /var/db/spwd.db The secure password database file. .It Pa /var/db/spwd.db.tmp A temporary file. .It Pa /etc/master.passwd The current password file. .It Pa /etc/passwd A Version 7 format password file. .El .Sh BUGS Because of the necessity for atomic update of the password files, .Nm pwd_mkdb uses .Xr rename 2 to install them. This, however, requires that the file specified on the command line live on the same file system as the .Dq Pa /etc directory. .Pp There are the obvious races with multiple people running .Nm pwd_mkdb on different password files at the same time. The front-ends to .Nm pwd_mkdb , .Xr chpass 1 , .Xr passwd 1 and .Xr vipw 8 , handle the locking necessary to avoid this problem. .Sh COMPATIBILITY Previous versions of the system had a program similar to .Nm pwd_mkdb , .Xr mkpasswd 8 , which built .Xr 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. .Sh SEE ALSO .Xr chpass 1 , .Xr passwd 1 , .Xr db 3 , .Xr getpwent 3 , .Xr passwd 5 , .Xr vipw 8