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From: news@rlvd.UUCP (News)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: Passwords in /etc/group
Message-ID: <496@rlvd.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 17-Jun-87 06:54:49 EDT
Article-I.D.: rlvd.496
Posted: Wed Jun 17 06:54:49 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 21-Jun-87 14:51:22 EDT
References: <7817@brl-adm.ARPA>
Reply-To: ian@rlvd.UUCP (Tom Gunn)
Organization: Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, United Kingdom
Lines: 18

In article <7817@brl-adm.ARPA> jepeway@UTKCS2.CS.UTK.EDU (Chris Jepeway) writes:
>
>Does any system software muck with the passwords in /etc/group?  I'm new
>to administering Unix, and I'd like to know what's up with groups.

   In a word, no. There is provision for passwords in the group structure, but
there is nothing provided to put the passwords in there. It is possible to put
a password into /etc/group by copying a known password from /etc/passwd into
the appropriate field, but this is an awful kludge. The simplest answer is:
don't bother with passwords in /etc/group.
   My comments apply to all BSD4.n systems and right back to v6, and I think to
system V and its derivatives as well.


Ian "Motorcycle Maaaaan"  Gunn         UK JANET : ian@uk.ac.rl.vd
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory             UUCP : ..!mcvax!ukc!rlvd!ian 
Chilton, Didcot, Oxon OX11 0QX             ARPA : @ucl.cs.arpa:ian@vd.rl.ac.uk
England.	                         'phone : (0235) 21900 ext: 5707