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From: schemers@vela.acs.oakland.edu (Roland Schemers III)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.ultrix
Subject: hesiod
Summary: Using hesiod with /etc/passwd
Keywords: /etc/passwd, hesiod, mkpasswd, hesupd
Message-ID: <3965@vela.acs.oakland.edu>
Date: 21 Nov 90 16:11:45 GMT
Reply-To: schemers@vela.acs.oakland.edu (Roland Schemers III)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Oakland University, Rochester MI
Lines: 34

Hello! I am setting up hesiod to distribute the passwd file
and have gotten it to work. My main question is what is the
correct way to maintain the passwd file under the following
conditions:

  o The primary server is the host where the 'real' /etc/passwd file lives.
  o We are also using mkpasswd on the primary server.

I know I can link the /var/dss/namedb/src/passwd file to /etc/passwd,
but which way should it go? It seems like it would be:

ln -s /etc/passwd /var/dss/namedb/src/passwd

So what happens to /etc/passwd.{pag,dir} when someone changes their password 
remotely, and the hesupd updates /var/dss/namedb/src/passwd? It seems like
it would get out of sync unless the hesupd knows about the hashed passwd
file. Also what about the opposite when someone on the primary server
changes their password? Does this change not get propagated until
the hesiod passwd.db is re-made?

After all is said and done, what has to be done to keep all these files
in sync? It almost seems like a cron job is needed to run mkpasswd and/or
/var/dss/namedb/make passwd periodically.

Thanx for any help.

Roland


-- 
Roland J. Schemers III                              Systems Programmer 
schemers@vela.acs.oakland.edu (Ultrix)              Oakland University 
schemers@argo.acs.oakland.edu (VMS)                 Rochester, MI 48309-4401
~Disclaimer::Disclaimer() { reboot(RB_HALT); }      (313)-370-4323