2.11BSD#431 - /usr/man/cat1/chfn.0

CHPASS(1)	    UNIX Programmer's Manual		CHPASS(1)


NAME
     chpass - add or change user database information

SYNOPSIS
     chpass [ -a list ] [ user ]

DESCRIPTION
     Chpass allows editing of the user database information asso-
     ciated with user or, by default, the current user.  The
     information is formatted and supplied to an editor for
     changes.  The vi editor will be used unless the environmen-
     tal variable EDITOR selects an alternate editor.  When the
     editor terminates, the information is re-read and used to
     update the user database itself.  Only the user, or the
     super-user, may edit the information associated with the
     user.

     Only the information that the user is allowed to change is
     displayed.

     Possible display items are as follows:

	   Login:	      user's login name
	   Password:	      user's encrypted password
	   Uid:               user's id
	   Gid:               user's login group id
	   Change:	      password change time
	   Expire:	      account expiration time
	   Class:	      user's general classification
	   Home Directory:    user's home directory
	   Shell:	      user's login shell
	   Full Name:	      user's real name
	   Location:	      user's normal location
	   Home Phone:	      user's home phone
	   Office Phone:      user's office phone

     The login field is the user name used to access the computer
     account.

     The password field contains the encrypted form of the user's
     password.

     The uid field is the number associated with the login field.
     Both of these fields should be unique across the system (and
     often across a group of systems) as they control file
     access.

     While it is possible to have multiple entries with identical
     login names and/or identical user id's, it is usually a mis-
     take to do so.  Routines that manipulate these files will
     often return only one of the multiple entries, and that one
     by random selection.


Printed 11/24/99	 March 12, 1989                         1


CHPASS(1)	    UNIX Programmer's Manual		CHPASS(1)


     The group field is the group that the user will be placed in
     upon login.  Since this system supports multiple groups (see
     groups(1)) this field currently has little special meaning.
     This field may be filled in with either a number or a group
     name (see group(5)).

     The change field is the date by which the password must be
     changed.

     The expire field is the date on which the account expires.

     Both the change and expire fields should be entered in the
     form ``month day year'' where month is the month name (the
     first three characters are sufficient), day is the day of
     the month, and year is the year.

     The class field is currently unused.  In the near future it
     will be a key to a termcap(5) style database of user attri-
     butes.

     The user's home directory is the full UNIX path name where
     the user will be placed on login.

     The shell field is the command interpreter the user prefers.
     If the shell field is empty, the Bourne shell (/bin/sh) is
     assumed.

     When altering a login shell, and not the super-user, the
     user must select an approved shell from the list in
     /etc/shells.

     The last four fields are for storing the user's full name,
     office location, and home and work telephone numbers.

     The super-user is also allowed to directly supply a user
     database entry, in the format specified by passwd(5), as an
     argument to the -a option.  This argument must be a colon
     (``:'') separated list of all the user database fields,
     although they may be empty.

     Once the information has been verified, chpass uses
     mkpasswd(8) to update the user database.  This is run in the
     background, and, at very large sites could take several
     minutes.  Until this update is completed, the password file
     is unavailable for other updates and the new information
     will not be available to programs.

FILES
     /etc/master.passwd       The user database
     /etc/shells	      The list of approved shells


Printed 11/24/99	 March 12, 1989                         2


CHPASS(1)	    UNIX Programmer's Manual		CHPASS(1)


SEE ALSO
     login(1), finger(1), getusershell(3), passwd(5),
     mkpasswd(8), vipw(8)
     Robert Morris and Ken Thompson, UNIX password security

BUGS
     User information should (and eventually will) be stored
     elsewhere.


Printed 11/24/99	 March 12, 1989                         3