chpass [-a list] [-s newshell] [user]

DESCRIPTION

     Chpass allows editing of the user database information associated with
     user or, by default, the current user.  The information is formatted and
     supplied to an editor for changes.

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

     The options are as follows:

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

     -s      The -s option attempts to change the user's shell to newshell.

     Possible display items are as follows:

           Login:           user's login name
           Password:        user's encrypted password
           Uid:             user's login
           Gid:             user's login group
           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 mistake to do so.  Routines
     that manipulate these files will often return only one of the multiple
     entries, and that one by random selection.

     The group field is the group that the user will be placed in at login.
     Since BSD 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 shell field is the command interpreter the user prefers.  If the
     shell field is empty, the Bourne shell, /bin/sh, is assumed.  When alter-
     ing a login shell, and not the super-user, the user may not change from a
     non-standard shell or to a non-standard shell.  Non-standard is defined
     as a shell not found in /etc/shells.

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

     Once the information has been verified, chpass uses pwd_mkdb(8) to update
     the user database.

ENVIRONMENT

     The vi(1) editor will be used unless the environment variable EDITOR is
     set to 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.

FILES

     /etc/master.passwd  The user database
     /etc/passwd         A Version 7 format password file
     /etc/ptmp           Lock file for the passwd database
     /etc/pw.XXXXXX      Temporary copy of the user passwd information
     /etc/shells         The list of approved shells

SEE ALSO

     login(1),  finger(1),  passwd(1),  getusershell(3),  passwd(5),
     pwd_mkdb(8),  vipw(8)

     Robert Morris, and Ken Thompson, UNIX Password security.

BUGS

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

HISTORY

     The chpass command appeared in 4.3BSD-Reno.

BSD Experimental               December 30, 1993                             2