pwd_mkdb [ -p ] file
 DESCRIPTION
 Pwd_mkdb creates
 db (3) style secure and insecure databases for the specified file.
These databases are then installed into ``/var/db/spwd.db'' and
``/var/db/pwd.db'' respectively.
The file is installed into ``/etc/master.passwd''.
The file must be in the correct format (see
 passwd (5)). It is important to note that the format used in this system is
different from the historic Version 7 style format.

The options are as follows:

-p
Create a Version 7 style password file and install it into ``/etc/password''.

The databases actually contain three copies of the original data.
Each password file entry is converted into a rough approximation of a
``struct passwd'', with the strings placed inline.
This object is then stored as the data for three separate keys.
The first key is the pw_name field prepended by the _PW_KEYBYNAME character.
The second key is the pw_uid field prepended by the _PW_KEYBYUID character.
The third key is the line number in the original file prepended by the
_PW_KEYBYNUM character.
(The special characters are prepended to ensure that the keys do not
collide.)

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.
 FILES
/var/db/pwd.db The insecure password database file

/var/db/pwd.db.tmp A temporary file

/var/db/spwd.db The secure password database file

/var/db/spwd.db.tmp A temporary file

/etc/master.passwd The current password file

/etc/passwd A Version 7 format password file
 BUGS
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 file system as the ``/etc'' directory.

There are the obvious races with multiple people running
 pwd_mkdb on different 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.
 COMPATIBILITY
Previous versions of the system had a program similar to
 pwd_mkdb,   mkpasswd (8), 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.
 SEE ALSO
chpass(1), passwd(1), db(3), getpwent(3), passwd(5), vipw(8)