PASSWD(1)                            BSD                             PASSWD(1)



NAME
     chfn, chsh, passwd - change password file information

SYNOPSIS
     passwd [ -s ] [ -f ] [ name ]
     chsh shell
     chfn

DESCRIPTION
     The passwd command changes or installs a password, log-in shell (-s
     option), or GECOS information field (-f option) associated with the user
     name (your own name by default).

     chsh changes a log-in shell, and is equivalent to passwd -s.

     chfn changes the GECOS information field, and is equivalent to passwd -f.

     When altering a password, passwd prompts for the current password and
     then for the new one; you must supply both.  You must type the new
     password twice to forestall mistakes.

     New passwords must be at least four characters long if they use a
     sufficiently rich alphabet, and at least six characters long if monocase.
     These rules are relaxed if you are insistent enough.

     Only the owner of the name or the super-user can change a password;
     owners must prove they know the old password.

     When altering a log-in shell, (using passwd -s or chsh) the program
     displays the current log-in shell and then prompts for the new one.  The
     new log-in shell must be one of the approved shells listed in /etc/shells
     unless you are the super-user.  If /etc/shells does not exist, the only
     shells that can be specified are /bin/sh, /bin/csh, /bin/ksh, and
     /com/sh.

     The super-user can change anyone's log-in shell; normal users can only
     change their own log-in shell(s).

     When altering the GECOS information field, (using passwd -f or chfn), the
     program displays the current information, broken into fields, as
     interpreted by the finger(1) program (among others) and prompts for new
     values.  These fields can include a user's "real life" name, office room
     number, office phone number, and home phone number.  Each prompt includes
     a default value, which is enclosed between brackets.  The default value
     is accepted simply by typing a carriage return.  To enter a blank field,
     the word "none" can be typed.  Phone numbers can be entered with or
     without hyphens.  It is a good idea to run finger after changing the
     GECOS information to make sure everything is set up properly.

     The super-user can change anyone's GECOS information; normal users can
     only change their own.

EXAMPLE
     Below is a sample run:

          % passwd -f
          Name [Biff Studsworth II]:
          Room number (Exs: 597E or 197C) []: 521E
          Office Phone (Ex: 1632) []: 1863
          Home Phone (Ex: 987532) [5771546]: none

NOTES
     On Domain/OS systems, the /etc/passwd file is a typed file, which is
     automatically generated by the registry daemon. The registry
     administrator can make the person information in the registry read-only,
     in which case normal users cannot change the "Name" field.

FILES
     /etc/passwd    The file containing all of this information
     /etc/shells    The list of approved shells

SEE ALSO
     login(1), finger(1), passwd(5), crypt(3), edrgy(8)
     Using Your BSD Environment
     Robert Morris and Ken Thompson, UNIX password security