system_cmds/vipw.tproj/vipw.8

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  32 .\"     @(#)vipw.8      8.1 (Berkeley) 6/6/93
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  34 .Dd June 6, 1993
  35 .Dt VIPW 8
  36 .Os BSD 4
  37 .Sh NAME
  38 .Nm vipw
  39 .Nd edit the password file
  40 .Sh SYNOPSIS
  41 .Nm vipw
  42 .Sh DESCRIPTION
  43 .Nm Vipw
  44 edits the password file after setting the appropriate locks,
  45 and does any necessary processing after the password file is unlocked.
  46 If the password file is already locked for editing by another user,
  47 .Nm vipw
  48 will ask you
  49 to try again later. The default editor for
  50 .Nm vipw
  51 is
  52 .Xr vi 1 .
  53 .Pp
  54 .Nm Vipw
  55 performs a number of consistency checks on the password entries,
  56 and will not allow a password file with a
  57 .Dq mangled
  58 entry to be
  59 installed.
  60 If
  61 .Nm vipw
  62 rejects the new password file, the user is prompted to re-enter
  63 the edit session.
  64 .Pp
  65 Once the information has been verified,
  66 .Nm vipw
  67 uses
  68 .Xr pwd_mkdb 8
  69 to update the user database.  This is run in the background, and,
  70 at very large sites could take several minutes.  Until this update
  71 is completed, the password file is unavailable for other updates
  72 and the new information is not available to programs.
  73 .Sh ENVIRONMENT
  74 If the following environment variable exists it will be utilized by
  75 .Nm vipw :
  76 .Bl -tag -width EDITOR
  77 .It Ev EDITOR
  78 The editor specified by the string
  79 .Ev EDITOR
  80 will be invoked instead of the default editor
  81 .Xr vi 1 .
  82 .El
  83 .Sh SEE ALSO
  84 .Xr chpass 1 ,
  85 .Xr passwd 1 ,
  86 .Xr passwd 5 ,
  87 .Xr pwd_mkdb 8
  88 .Sh HISTORY
  89 The
  90 .Nm
  91 command appeared in
  92 .Bx 4.0 .