questions about /etc/passwd

[Chris Anderson]

In article <2666 at munnari.oz.au> shek at mullian.ee.mu.OZ.AU (Wilson SHEK) writes:
>	In the /etc/passwd file, there are some strange entries following
>the first line (which is usually the root), eg.
>
>	daemon:*:1:1:the UniX Daemon:/:
>	sys:*:2:2::/:/bin/csh
>	bin:*:3:3::/bin:
>	uucp:*:4:4::/var/spool/uucppublic:
>	news:*:6:6::/var/spool/news:/bin/csh
>
>	Who/what are they? Does the '*' in the password field have any
>meaning?

Yup.  These are system logins, used for system processes and checking
certain areas of Unix by the systems administrator.  For example,
uucp is the login for the uucp administrator... allowing him to update
certain files used by uucp, check the flow of communications, etc.

The '*' is used so that nobody can log into these uid's except by
being root.  Root has the ability to 'su' to any other uid without
a password check, anybody else would not be able to login to these
uid's without being root.

Hope this helps.

Chris
>
>	Just curious...
>|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
>|  Wilson  SHEK                     |  ACSnet   : shek at mullian.mu.oz          |
>|  Department of Elec Engineering   |  internet : shek at mullian.mu.oz.au       |
>|  University of Melbourne          |  uunet    : uunet!munnari!mullian!shek  |


-- 
| Chris Anderson  						       |
| QMA, Inc.		        email : {csusac,sactoh0}!utgard!chris  |
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| My employer never listens to me, so why should he care what I say?   |