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vipw(1M)

HP-UX 11i Version 3: February 2007
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NAME

vipw — edit the password file

SYNOPSIS

vipw

DESCRIPTION

vipw edits the password file while setting the appropriate locks, and does any necessary processing after the password file is unlocked. If the password file is already being edited, you will be told to try again later. The vi editor is used unless the environment variable EDITOR indicates an alternate editor.

vipw performs a number of consistency checks on the password entry for root, and does not allow a password file with an incorrectly formatted root entry to be installed. To help reduce the possibility of leaving the system in an unbootable state, root's entry is not considered properly formatted if it has a user ID that is not zero, or if it has a shell other than /sbin/sh, /usr/bin/csh, /usr/bin/ksh, or /usr/bin/sh.

Please refer to passwd(4) and the HP-UX System Administrator's Guide manual for further details of password file format.

WARNINGS

An /etc/ptmp file that is not removed when a system crashes prevents further editing of the /etc/passwd file using vipw after the system is rebooted. /etc/ptmp is the standard lock used by all commands which knowingly modify /etc/passwd.

Successful execution of vipw is not sufficient for proper system operation. To help maintain consistency with other system databases, editing of the password file with vipw is generally discouraged. Please use sam, useradd, usermod, userdel, chfn, chsh or passwd to edit /etc/passwd.

AUTHOR

vipw was developed by the University of California, Berkeley.

FILES

/etc/ptmp

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