Path: utzoo!utgpu!cunews!bnrgate!brtph3!brchh104!brchs1!bnr.ca!rice.edu!sun-spots-request
From: unocal!stssram@sunkist.west.sun.com (Bob Myers)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun
Subject: vipw and Password file locking in SunOS 4.1.1
Keywords: SunOS
Message-ID: <1909@brchh104.bnr.ca>
Date: 15 Mar 91 22:44:00 GMT
Sender: news@brchh104.bnr.ca
Organization: Sun-Spots
Lines: 19
Approved: Sun-Spots@rice.edu
X-Original-Date: 25 Feb 91 10:09:12
X-Sun-Spots-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 54, message 5
X-Note: Submissions: sun-spots@rice.edu, Admin: sun-spots-request@rice.edu

What does vipw do, exactly?  We are using an alternate password file for
NIS passwords, and I would like to build a version of vipw to use this
file instead of /etc/passwd. I know it does file locking with /etc/ptmp,
but supposedly it makes validity checks on the password file as well.

Oddly enough, it appears to me that rpc.yppasswdd uses /etc/.ptmp for file
locking instead of /etc/ptmp. This works out well for those of us with
alternate password files, but it sort of breaks the default configuration
for NIS passwords.

So, what I really want to do is build a version of vipw that uses
/etc/passwd-NIS for the password file and /etc/.ptmp for file locking.
Anybody have a public domain version of vipw I can fix for this, or at
least pointers to an explanation of what else this program does?

Thanks.
Bob Myers					 [714] 528-7201 x2339
Unocal Science & Technology Division
Brea, California               myers%unocal.uucp@sunkist.west.sun.com