PASSWD(1) General Commands Manual PASSWD(1)
NAME
passwd - change password file information
SYNOPSIS
passwd [ user ]
DESCRIPTION
Passwd changes the user's password. First, the user is prompted for their old password, and then, if that is correct, for the new pass-
word. The new password must be entered twice to forestall any typing errors. The super-user is not prompted for the old password.
Once the password has been verified, passwd 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
password will not be available to programs.
FILES
/etc/master.passwd the user database
SEE ALSO
chpass(1), login(1), passwd(5), mkpasswd(8), vipw(8)
Robert Morris and Ken Thompson, UNIX password security
4th Berkeley Distribution February 22, 1989 PASSWD(1)
