set new passwd within a program?

[Mike Johnson]

I am sure this an easy question, but I can't seem to find the answer in 
the manual.  I am trying to write a script to automatically create a bunch
of logins.  I can do everything except set new passwords.  If I call passwd(1)
it insists on getting the new passwd from the terminal.  I suspect that I 
need to call /usr/lib/makekey, and shove the output into the /etc/shadow
file.  But I can't seem to figure out how to feed the password into 
makekey so that it produces the same output that passwd would.  If
I do something like

echo "frog    ll" | /usr/lib/makekey

where frog is the password and ll is supposed to be the salt, and then
put the output into the /etc/shadow file, it doesn't work.

Can somebody help me?  Please send mail directly to me.  I am using ESIX
System V release 3.2.  Working shell scripts to do this sort of thing 
would be most appreciated.

Mike Johnson
uunet!clark!mike