grep for password file entry


 
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# 8  
Old 03-11-2011
The difference between these two is that the second version makes an exact match on the username field whereas the first version makes a match on any string in the password file containing those characters.
Quote:
grep `whoami` /etc/passwd
grep \^`whoami`: /etc/passwd
Though the first version may appear to work it is not safe with large password files.
Consider for example usernames "fred" "alfred" and "freda". When you search for username "fred" you only want the one hit.
 
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shexp(1)						      General Commands Manual							  shexp(1)

Name
       shexp - display password expiration information for a user

Syntax
       shexp [-q] [username]

Description
       The command is used to display a user's password expiration information.  The specified username, or logname if no username is supplied, is
       converted to a UID by searching through the passwd file.  The UID is then used to look up the user's entry in  the  Auth  Data  Base.   The
       password expiration information is then printed out in format.
       % shexp
       Expires Tue Dec	6 10:49:18 EST 1988
       If  the	password  has  already expired the word Expires will be replaced with the word Expired. If password expiration is disabled for the
       particular user in question the output of will be Never expires.

Options
       -q   Instead of displaying the expiration date and time in format, outputs it as three decimal numbers: the minimum password lifetime,  the
	    maximum password lifetime, and the password modification time.  All three numbers are displayed as they are found in the database.

Restrictions
       Only the super-user may obtain information about users with UIDs other than the real UID of the invoking process.

Diagnostics
       User not found in passwd data base.
       There is no entry in for the specified username.

       Cannot stat auth file.
       The database is missing (security features may not be enabled).

       Insufficient privilege.
       An insufficiently privileged user is asking for information about a username with a UID different then their current real-UID.

       An exit value of 0 indicates a successful operation, any other exit status indicates an error.

Files
See Also
       passwd(1), getauthuid(3), auth(5)
       Security Guide for Users

																	  shexp(1)