Re: The Shadow Password Conundrum

Juan Carlos Castro y Castro (jcastro@pcshop.com.br)
Mon, 22 Feb 1999 18:20:45 -0300


Alan Curry wrote:
>
> Juan Carlos Castro y Castro writes the following:
> >
> >3) The util-linux README (newest version) says it doesn't support shadow
> >paswords! (Using /etc/passwd is not acceptable for me.)
> >
> >4) I could install, over util-linux, the Shadow Password Suite found at
> >
> >ftp://i17linuxb.ists.pwr.wroc.pl/pub/linux/shadow
> >
> >but is it safe? There's a July 98 version deemed stable, and a December
> >98 version deemed "development". None of them ever mentions kernel 2.2
> >or the newest version of util-linux.
> >
> >What do I do?
>
> What are you running now? PAM login?

Uh, yeah, I guess. On RH 5.1. Also there's an old Slackware installation
(3.2) which also has shadow pws enabled.

> Whatever it is, there is no need for you to install the util-linux login
> program. Read its documentation, and you will find there are options to
> disable the things you don't need. If you set the config correctly,
> util-linux will not overwrite your existing shadow utilities.

Now I'm confident again. Thanx!

> >And what's the reasoning behind not supporting shadow passwords in
> >util-linux?
>
> Because the shadow suite supersedes the util-linux login program. Nobody
> should be using the util-linux login anymore. Even if you keep your passwords
> in /etc/passwd, the shadow suite's highly configurable login program is
> reason enough to install it.

Shouldn't the shadow suite be "melted" into util-linux then?

-- 
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 \  \ /  /   _______________________________________________
  \  V  /   |Juan Carlos Castro y Castro                    |
   \   /    |jcastro@pcshop.com.br                          |
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 /  / \  \  |da E-RACE CORPORATION                          |
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