SYNOPSIS

mkpasswd [ args ] [ user ]

INTRODUCTION

mkpasswd generates passwords and can apply them automatically 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 example creates a password with at least 3 digits.

        mkpasswd -d 3

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

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

The -s flag defines the minimum number of special characters that must be in the password. The default is 1.

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), 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

AUTHOR

Don Libes, National Institute of Standards and Technology

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