UPDATE-PASSWD(8)         (Debian tools)          UPDATE-PASSWD(8)

     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, 0en99).  It leaves backup copies of
          the previous versions of modified files with the extension
          oq.orgcq (for lqoriginalrq).

     OPTIONS
          update-passwd follows the usual GNU command line syntax,
          with long options starting with two dashes (oq-cq).

          -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.

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     UPDATE-PASSWD(8)         (Debian tools)          UPDATE-PASSWD(8)

          -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

          -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 prior-
               ity.

     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 1999en2002 Wichert Akkerman and copyright 2002,
          2003 Colin Watson.  It is distributed under version 2 of the
          GNU General Public License.

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