Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!ucsd!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!aplcen!jhunix!barrett
From: barrett@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU (Dan Barrett)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.ultrix
Subject: adduser vs. BIND/Hesiod vs. auth
Message-ID: <6414@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU>
Date: 13 Sep 90 03:50:42 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: The Johns Hopkins University - HCF
Lines: 31


	I don't understand the relationship (if any) in Ultrix 4.0 between:

	-	/etc/adduser
	-	Using BIND/Hesiod to distribute the passwd file
	-	The auth database for passwords (auth.pag, auth.dir)

I recently started running BIND/Hesiod on our DECsystem 5400 (primary
server) to distribute the passwd database to our DS3100's.  To my chagrin, I
discovered that /etc/adduser is not smart enough to remake
/var/dss/namedb/passwd.db when run.  So, I hacked it in myself.

	Now I want to move to ENHANCED security and use auth for passwords.
Now adduser *does* know how to remake the auth database.  But where does
that leave BIND's /var/dss/namedb/src/passwd?  Do I have to generate it from
the auth database?  I am definitely getting confused here.

	So:  how does one maintain a single, consistent password database
while using both Hesiod and auth?  And why doesn't adduser know about
Hesiod?

	Another question:  is there any problem/disadvantage with making
/var/dss/namedb/src/passwd simply a symbolic link to /etc/passwd?

                                                        Dan

 //////////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
| Dan Barrett, Department of Computer Science      Johns Hopkins University |
| INTERNET:   barrett@cs.jhu.edu           |                                |
| COMPUSERVE: >internet:barrett@cs.jhu.edu | UUCP:   barrett@jhunix.UUCP    |
 \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\/////////////////////////////////////