# 2.11BSD#431 - /usr/man/cat1/chsh.0

    CHPASS(1)	    UNIX Programmer's Manual		CHPASS(1)

    NAME
         chpass - add or change user database information

    SYNOPSIS
         chpass [ -a list ] [ user ]

    DESCRIPTION
         Chpass allows editing of the user database information asso-
         ciated with user or, by default, the current user.  The
         information is formatted and supplied to an editor for
         changes.  The vi editor will be used unless the environmen-
         tal variable EDITOR selects an alternate editor.  When the
         editor terminates, the information is re-read and used to
         update the user database itself.  Only the user, or the
         super-user, may edit the information associated with the
         user.

         Only the information that the user is allowed to change is
         displayed.

         Possible display items are as follows:

    	   Login:	      user's login name
    	   Password:	      user's encrypted password
    	   Uid:               user's id
    	   Gid:               user's login group id
    	   Change:	      password change time
    	   Expire:	      account expiration time
    	   Class:	      user's general classification
    	   Home Directory:    user's home directory
    	   Shell:	      user's login shell
    	   Full Name:	      user's real name
    	   Location:	      user's normal location
    	   Home Phone:	      user's home phone
    	   Office Phone:      user's office phone

         The login field is the user name used to access the computer
         account.

         The password field contains the encrypted form of the user's
         password.

         The uid field is the number associated with the login field.
         Both of these fields should be unique across the system (and
         often across a group of systems) as they control file
         access.

         While it is possible to have multiple entries with identical
         login names and/or identical user id's, it is usually a mis-
         take to do so.  Routines that manipulate these files will
         often return only one of the multiple entries, and that one
         by random selection.

    Printed 11/24/99	 March 12, 1989                         1

    CHPASS(1)	    UNIX Programmer's Manual		CHPASS(1)

         The group field is the group that the user will be placed in
         upon login.  Since this system supports multiple groups (see
         groups(1)) this field currently has little special meaning.
         This field may be filled in with either a number or a group
         name (see group(5)).

         The change field is the date by which the password must be
         changed.

         The expire field is the date on which the account expires.

         Both the change and expire fields should be entered in the
         form ``month day year'' where month is the month name (the
         first three characters are sufficient), day is the day of
         the month, and year is the year.

         The class field is currently unused.  In the near future it
         will be a key to a termcap(5) style database of user attri-
         butes.

         The user's home directory is the full UNIX path name where
         the user will be placed on login.

         The shell field is the command interpreter the user prefers.
         If the shell field is empty, the Bourne shell (/bin/sh) is
         assumed.

         When altering a login shell, and not the super-user, the
         user must select an approved shell from the list in
         /etc/shells.

         The last four fields are for storing the user's full name,
         office location, and home and work telephone numbers.

         The super-user is also allowed to directly supply a user
         database entry, in the format specified by passwd(5), as an
         argument to the -a option.  This argument must be a colon
         (``:'') separated list of all the user database fields,
         although they may be empty.

         Once the information has been verified, chpass uses
         mkpasswd(8) to update the user database.  This is run in the
         background, and, at very large sites could take several
         minutes.  Until this update is completed, the password file
         is unavailable for other updates and the new information
         will not be available to programs.

    FILES
         /etc/master.passwd       The user database
         /etc/shells	      The list of approved shells

    Printed 11/24/99	 March 12, 1989                         2

    CHPASS(1)	    UNIX Programmer's Manual		CHPASS(1)

    SEE ALSO
         login(1), finger(1), getusershell(3), passwd(5),
         mkpasswd(8), vipw(8)
         Robert Morris and Ken Thompson, UNIX password security

    BUGS
         User information should (and eventually will) be stored
         elsewhere.

    Printed 11/24/99	 March 12, 1989                         3

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