How do you manage multiple /etc/passwd files?

[hurf at batcomputer.UUCP]

In article <286 at desoto.UUCP> shz at desoto.UUCP (S. Zirin) writes:
>In <2253 at felix.UUCP> zemon writes:
>
>> I just installed my third computer which means that now I have three
>> /etc/passwd files.  So now I'm trying to figure out some way to relieve
>> my users from the need to update passwords three times when they want 
>> to change them.  How do you do it.
>
>Users should NOT use the same password on more than one computer for obvious 
>security reasons.  In addition, you should probably use password aging to 
>require your users to change their passwords periodically.

The above does NOT answer the question - with hosts.equiv & .rhosts
a password isn't necessary to move between systems anyhow. There are 
'rpasswd' programs around (try george at vax1.ccs.cornell.edu) for individual
users to update their passwords but the thing that seems to be the most useful
would be to keep the password files consistent & rdist from a master node
on a periodic basis. I would like to hear from those adventurous enough
to have tried this type of thing - I already have some responses to a similar
question & I will summarize all responses soon.


hurf