VIPW(8) | System Manager's Manual | VIPW(8)

# NAME

`vipw` —
edit the password file

# SYNOPSIS

`vipw` | [`-d` directory]

# 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.

The options are as follows:

`-d` directory
  Change the root directory of the password file from “/” to directory.

If a `vipw` session is killed it may leave “/etc/ptmp”, which will cause future `vipw` executions to fail with “vipw: the passwd file is busy”, until it is removed.

# ENVIRONMENT

If the following environment variable exists it will be used by `vipw`:

`EDITOR`
  The editor specified by the string `EDITOR` will be invoked instead of the default editor vi(1).

# FILES

/etc/master.passwd
  The current password file.
/etc/ptmp
  Temporary copy of the password file used while editing.

# SEE ALSO

chpass(1), passwd(1), pwhash(1), passwd(5), passwd.conf(5), pwd_mkdb(8), user(8)

# HISTORY

The `vipw` command appeared in 4.0BSD.

September 4, 2005 | NetBSD 9.3