Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cwjcc!gatech!prism!gs26
From: gs26@prism.gatech.EDU (Glenn R. Stone)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: awk and shell question (really yp passwd manipulation)
Summary: DON'T use ypcat when you just want one!
Keywords: yp dbm speed efficiency
Message-ID: <1940@hydra.gatech.EDU>
Date: 20 Sep 89 01:26:56 GMT
References: <1163@ispi.UUCP> <2412@netcom.UUCP> <2130@munnari.oz.au>
Reply-To: gs26@prism.gatech.EDU (Glenn R. Stone)
Organization: when necessary
Lines: 22

In article <2130@munnari.oz.au> ok@cs.mu.oz.au (Richard O'Keefe) writes:
>In article <2412@netcom.UUCP>, hinton@netcom.UUCP (Greg Hinton) writes:
>: In article <1163@ispi.UUCP> jbayer@ispi.UUCP (Jonathan Bayer) writes:
>: >I have to get the user id, and then get the user description from 
>: >/etc/passwd.
>Again, watch out for Yellow Pages; if you're using that you have to do
>	ypcat passwd | grep "^${LOGNAME}" | what-ever-you-want-here

Ummm.... I don't think this is the preferred method, especially when
yp is dbm-ized... you REALLY don't want do do this if you have a 
yp like this one, with yppasswd something on the order of the lower
half of five figures left of the decimal.  Better is

ypmatch $LOGNAME passwd | yourprog

which lets yp do what it's supposed to, namely, look up a passwd entry
quickly and efficiently, no muss, no fuss, you'll be home in time for dinner.

Glenn R. Stone
gs26@prism.gatech.edu, CCASTGS@GITNVE2.BITNET, ...!gatech!gitpyr!ccastgs
Box 30372, Atlanta, GA 30332
"We know it's impossible, now how's the best way to do it?"