SUMMARY: Using root to change other peoples passwords and names

From: Martin Rootes (M.Rootes@sheffield-city-poly.ac.uk)
Date: Tue Oct 13 1992 - 18:39:01 CDT


My original question:

> Dear All,

> I need to be able to change users passwords when they forget them and also
> to set user names. The problem is that yppasswd seems to require root to type
> in the users current password for both operations, is there anyway round this
> or will I have to write a utility to update the passwd file directly.

> Martin.

> P.S. This is on SunOS 4.1.2

The secret is to login to the master yp server and then use passwd, (which is
what I was doing). However if your passwd file is a location other than
/etc/passwd (which ours is) you need to use the -F option of passwd to specify
the correct location. Once passwd has been run you need to rebuild the NIS maps.
So the full sequence is:

   (Login to yp server)

   passwd -F /location/of/passwd username

   (Enter password twice)

   cd /var/yp (or where ever NIS is located)
   make

Using the -f option enables you to change the users name.

Thanks to the following (and anyone else who responds whilst I've been typing
this):

mlg@cstp.umkc.edu Meg Grice
odt@dcs.bellcore.com Dan ????
phil@dgbt.doc.ca Phil Blanchfield
nicky@davinci.concordia.ca Nick Ayoub
tkevans@eplrx7.es.duPont.com Tim Evans
gauthier@fresnel.telecom.hydro.qc.ca Jean-Benoit Gauthier
Andrew.Rakowski@East.Sun.COM Andrew Rakowski
ca@idefix.informatik.uni-kiel.dbp.de Claus Assmann
blymn@awadi.com.AU Brett Lymn)

  Martin

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Martin Rootes - Senior Systems Programmer/Analyst, Sheffield Hallam University
Email : M.Rootes@scp.ac.uk
Disclaimer: Sheffield Hallam University has no opinions, the ones above
                are mine.
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