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).  It leaves
       backup copies of the previous versions of modified files with the  extension  ‘.org’  (for
       “original”).

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  set  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  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@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.