Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uunet!samsung!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!ucsd!helios.ee.lbl.gov!nosc!crash!rick
From: rick@crash.cts.com (Rick Stout)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.i386
Subject: Re: SCO Unix /etc/passwd question
Message-ID: <3732@crash.cts.com>
Date: 28 Jul 90 19:13:09 GMT
References: <90204.194456UH2@psuvm.psu.edu>
Organization: Crash TimeSharing, El Cajon, CA
Lines: 42
X-Local-Date: 28 Jul 90 12:13:09 PDT

In article <90204.194456UH2@psuvm.psu.edu> UH2@psuvm.psu.edu (Lee Sailer) writes:
>There is this big warning in the manuals---do not edit /etc/passwd
>with a text editor!!!!---which I have just ignored.  Am I in for
>trouble.
>
>The problem:  Several early users had accounts created with home directories
>in /usr.  But I wanted them in the newly created /u.  Sysadmsh doesn't
>seem to have a "move user's HOME directory" command.  So, like in the
>"old days" 8-) I edited /etc/passwd to indicate /u/userid for each
>home directory, and used tar to move everyone's files.
>
>So far, it seems to have worked.  But that warning has me a little
>nervous.
>
>So.  Am I in trouble, or what?
>

You should be OK.  I had set up users and then had to restore
the whole system from tape.  In the process somehow I lost the
user accounts in the /etc/passwd file.  (maybe the restore
won't overwrite the protected password database).

I couldn't add the users then because the subsystem said that
user name had been used before, and once an account is retired,
it is supposedly gone for good.

I figured I had nothing to lose so I edited the /etc/passwd file
to add all the user names I had fore.  I did make sure I gave
them the same uid numbers, but I don't know if it would matter.
I think you could just chown the files to the new user name.

It worked fine.  I did have to go into the sysadmsh and manually
re-establish the authorizations for the users.

Make sure you have an OVERIDE tty defined and I would also have
a copy of the passwd file.

Rick
________________________________________________________________________________
Rick Stout                                                ...uunet!eysd!rick
Ernst & Young, San Diego                                     (619) 236-1100
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