mkpasswd(1)

MKPASSWD(1)              USER COMMANDS                MKPASSWD(1)

NAME

     mkpasswd - generate new password, optionally apply it  to  a
     user

SYNOPSIS

     mkpasswd [ args ] [ user ]

INTRODUCTION

     mkpasswd generates passwords and can  apply  them  automati-
     cally  to users.  mkpasswd is based on the code from Chapter
     23 of the O'Reilly book "Exploring Expect".

USAGE

     With no arguments, mkpasswd returns a new password.

          mkpasswd

     With a user name, mkpasswd assigns a  new  password  to  the
     user.

          mkpasswd don

     The passwords are randomly generated according to the  flags
     below.

FLAGS

     The -l flag defines the length of the password.  The default
     is 9. The following example creates a 20 character password.

          mkpasswd -l 20

     The -d flag defines the minimum number of digits  that  must
     be  in the password.  The default is 2.  The following exam-
     ple creates a password with at least 3 digits.

          mkpasswd -d 3

     The -c flag defines the minimum number of  lowercase  alpha-
     betic  characters that must be in the password.  The default
     is 2.

     The -C flag defines the minimum number of  uppercase  alpha-
     betic  characters that must be in the password.  The default
     is 2.

     The -p flag  names  a  program  to  set  the  password.   By
     default,   /etc/yppasswd   is  used  if  present,  otherwise
     /bin/passwd is used.

     The -2 flag causes characters to  be  chosen  so  that  they
     alternate  between  right  and  left  hands  (qwerty-style),

                   Last change: 22 August 1994                  1

MKPASSWD(1)              USER COMMANDS                MKPASSWD(1)

     making  it  harder  for  anyone  watching  passwords   being
     entered.   This  can  also  make  it  easier for a password-
     guessing program.

     The -v flag causes the password-setting  interaction  to  be
     visible.  By default, it is suppressed.

EXAMPLE

     The following example creates a 15-character  password  that
     contains at least 3 digits and 5 uppercase characters.

          mkpasswd -l 15 -d 3 -C 5

SEE ALSO

     "Exploring  Expect:  A  Tcl-Based  Toolkit  for   Automating
     Interactive Programs" by Don Libes, O'Reilly and Associates,
     January 1995.

AUTHOR

     Don Libes, National Institute of Standards and Technology

     mkpasswd is in the public domain.  NIST and I would appreci-
     ate credit if this program or parts of it are used.

                   Last change: 22 August 1994                  2