1MKPASSWD(1)                 General Commands Manual                MKPASSWD(1)
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NAME

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

9       mkpasswd [ args ] [ user ]
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INTRODUCTION

12       mkpasswd generates passwords and can apply them automatically to users.
13       mkpasswd is based on the code from Chapter  23  of  the  O'Reilly  book
14       "Exploring Expect".
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USAGE

17       With no arguments, mkpasswd returns a new password.
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19            mkpasswd
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21       With a user name, mkpasswd assigns a new password to the user.
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23            mkpasswd don
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25       The passwords are randomly generated according to the flags below.
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FLAGS

29       The -l flag defines the length of the password.  The default is 9.  The
30       following example creates a 20 character password.
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32            mkpasswd -l 20
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34       The -d flag defines the minimum number of digits that must  be  in  the
35       password.   The default is 2.  The following example creates a password
36       with at least 3 digits.
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38            mkpasswd -d 3
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40       The -c flag defines the minimum number of lowercase alphabetic  charac‐
41       ters that must be in the password.  The default is 2.
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43       The  -C flag defines the minimum number of uppercase alphabetic charac‐
44       ters that must be in the password.  The default is 2.
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46       The -s flag defines the minimum number of special characters that  must
47       be in the password.  The default is 1.
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49       The  -p  flag  names  a  program  to  set  the  password.   By default,
50       /etc/yppasswd is used if present, otherwise /bin/passwd is used.
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52       The -2 flag causes characters to  be  chosen  so  that  they  alternate
53       between  right and left hands (qwerty-style), making it harder for any‐
54       one watching passwords being entered.  This can also make it easier for
55       a password-guessing program.
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57       The  -v flag causes the password-setting interaction to be visible.  By
58       default, it is suppressed.
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EXAMPLE

62       The following example creates a 15-character password that contains  at
63       least 3 digits and 5 uppercase characters.
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65            mkpasswd -l 15 -d 3 -C 5
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SEE ALSO

69       "Exploring  Expect: A Tcl-Based Toolkit for Automating Interactive Pro‐
70       grams" by Don Libes, O'Reilly and Associates, January 1995.
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AUTHOR

73       Don Libes, National Institute of Standards and Technology
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75       mkpasswd is in the public domain.  NIST and I would  appreciate  credit
76       if this program or parts of it are used.
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82                                22 August 1994                     MKPASSWD(1)
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