01-01-2009
In addition to cjcox advice.
You could intercept the editor and script a flag file to show that the file is being edited and then stop edits if the flag file exists. The flag method used by unix command "vipw" to prevent two "vipw" users editing the password file at the same time.
Depending on how the file is being edited you may find unix command "fuser" useful. It is however no good for editor processes which don't open the file for write (e.g. vi).
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LEARN ABOUT OPENDARWIN
vipw
VIPW(8) BSD System Manager's Manual VIPW(8)
NAME
vipw -- edit the password file
SYNOPSIS
vipw
DESCRIPTION
Vipw edits the password file after setting the appropriate locks, and does any necessary processing after the password file is unlocked. If
the password file is already locked for editing by another user, vipw will ask you to try again later. The default editor for vipw is vi(1).
Vipw performs a number of consistency checks on the password entries, and will not allow a password file with a ``mangled'' entry to be
installed. If vipw rejects the new password file, the user is prompted to re-enter the edit session.
Once the information has been verified, vipw uses pwd_mkdb(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
is not available to programs.
ENVIRONMENT
If the following environment variable exists it will be utilized by vipw:
EDITOR The editor specified by the string EDITOR will be invoked instead of the default editor vi(1).
SEE ALSO
chpass(1), passwd(1), passwd(5), pwd_mkdb(8)
HISTORY
The vipw command appeared in 4.0BSD.
4th Berkeley Distribution June 6, 1993 4th Berkeley Distribution