[lug] Password Migration Problems

[Kevin Fenzi]

On Sun, 7 Apr 2013 11:55:43 -0600
Swavek Skret <swavek.skret at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi all,
> 
> I am experiencing a problem when migrating passwords on my linux
> system. The system has only /etc/passwd file and not /etc/shadow etc.

That sounds like a very very old system? whats the os
version/release/distro?

> The problem is that when I install the /etc/passwd file (with the new
> passwords in it; yes it is an old system, one where the passwords
> appear to be stored in the /etc/passwd file for each user entry
> between the ':' separators) on the same kind but a new system, the
> system acts as if the passwords have not been updated. That's all
> despite that the /etc/passwd file does have the new password entry.
> It looks to me as if there was some other place/entity that I would
> need to push to the new system for these new password to take effect.

Take a look at pwconv. "man pwconv" for more info. 

> I noticed is that when I do change the password manually, there
> appears to be this "/etc/passwd-" file. It is not clear to me what
> this does (googling it did not show anything). Does anyone know about
> the "/etc/passwd-" file or possibly another place to
> update/adjust/configure to migrate the passwords successfully?

Thats a save of the old passwd file when a change is made. It saves it
as a passwd- version as a backup. 

kevin
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