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Date:      Fri, 10 Jul 1998 22:27:42 +0200
From:      Stefan Eggers <seggers@semyam.dinoco.de>
To:        freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.ORG
Cc:        Tom <tom@uniserve.com>, seggers@semyam.dinoco.de
Subject:   Re: Finger and getpwent 
Message-ID:  <199807102027.WAA27602@semyam.dinoco.de>
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Fri, 10 Jul 1998 12:28:16 PDT." <Pine.BSF.3.96.980710122412.2887A-100000@shell.uniserve.ca> 

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> > FBSD 2.2.2 to FBSD 2.2.6-stable something moved. In my /etc/passwd file
> > there are lots of coments "#" and getpwent() return 0 after read this
> > line. I have some scripts in perl that stops when getpwent() return 0.
> > In FBSD 2.2.2 when getpwent() returned 0 meant end of file /etc/passwd.
> 
>   I hope you realize that /etc/passwd isn't used for anything.  All users
> should be listed in /etc/master.passwd.  You should used vipw to edit
> /etc/master.passwd

And how do you expect non-root/SUID-root programs to get at any
information on users if not via /etc/passwd and (the actually used
database version thereof) /etc/pwd.db?  getpwent() uses it if one
isn't root.  For accesses by root it uses the shadow password file's
database version.  See the source to -stable.

Using vipw is a good idea, though as that will keep both in sync.  Not
doing so might eventually lead to interesting problems like root
seeing something differing from what a user can see.  Besides the
difference with the password, of course.  ;-)

Stefan.
-- 
Stefan Eggers                 Lu4 yao2 zhi1 ma3 li4,
Max-Slevogt-Str. 1            ri4 jiu3 jian4 ren2 xin1.
51109 Koeln
Federal Republic of Germany

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