[macvillage.net]

I need to batch change passwords.

How can it be done using shell.

Want to create a perl script that allows users to enter their old password... and a new one.

[theory]

Try
/user/bin/passwd
That is the standard unix way of doing
it

[11011001]

I would advise against using that though, because it will not update your keychain password.. only your login, so you will run into problems, and many, many annoying password request windows

use the preference pane

and ya, passwd does exactly what your perl script would do

[car1son]

I strongly suspect (I haven't tried this) that using the Unix passwd command won't update the password on the user's Keychain at the same time, however.

This will mean the Keychain will still have the old password and won't open automatically at login (user will have to open it with old password the first time it gets used per login until the user changes it or creates a new keychain.)

I don't know if the Unix command line can access the keychain. I doubt it.

(Edit: 11011001 types faster than I do.)

BTW, if you are changing all these passwords yourself, a sudo -s (to root) before running passwd will let you change the password without entering the old one (definitely won't update the keychain password.)

[macvillage.net]

Originally posted by 11011001:
I would advise against using that though, because it will not update your keychain password.. only your login, so you will run into problems, and many, many annoying password request windows

use the preference pane

and ya, passwd does exactly what your perl script would do

Users only connect via AppleShare, and shell.

So they never see the keychain stuff anyway.

It's for file storage.

[Cipher13]

passwd user

Will work fine, but yeah, Keychain won't be updated. If that's a non-issue, passwd will work fine.

[macvillage.net]

Originally posted by Cipher13:
passwd user

Will work fine, but yeah, Keychain won't be updated. If that's a non-issue, passwd will work fine.

Thanks Cipher!

I personally don't use Keychain period. Especially on this box.

It's a file server. The only passwords I'm concerned with are the main password (shell, ftp, AppleShare) and Samba.

[gatorparrots]

sudo niutil -createprop . /users/$theUsername passwd "`openssl passwd $thePassword`"

[theory]

Hey gatorparrots

Will niutil also change the the keychain
password

[Sarc]

Originally posted by gatorparrots:
sudo niutil -createprop . /users/$theUsername passwd "`openssl passwd $thePassword`"

can you explain that ?
right from ... . / users ... onwards

thx

[Brass]

Originally posted by Sarc:
can you explain that ?
right from ... . / users ... onwards

thx

From the man page for niutil...

Code:
niutil  lets  you  to do arbitrary reads and writes on the
       given NetInfo domain.  In order to perform writes,  niutil
       must  be  run  as  root  on  the  NetInfo  master  for the
       database, unless the -p, -P, or -u options are given.  The
       directory  specified by path is separated by "/"s, similar
       to the filesystem.  The property names may be given in the
       path  using  a  "=", but will default to the property name
       "name".  For example, the following refers to a user  with
       the user ID 3.

       "/name=users/uid=3"

       The following shorter form would also be sufficient:

       "/users/uid=3"

       You  may specify a numeric ID for the directory instead of
       the string path.
...
       -createprop domain path key [ val... ]
              Create  a  new property in the directory path.  key
              refers to the name of the property; 0 or more prop-
              erty  values  may be specified.  If the named prop-
              erty already exists, it's overwritten.

[gatorparrots]

Originally posted by Sarc:
can you explain that ?
right from ... . / users ... onwards

thx

sudo niutil -createprop . /users/$theUsername passwd "`openssl passwd $thePassword`"
This command arbitrarily assigns a user's password. We're saying, "with root privileges, use niutil to create a property in the default domain at this path: /users/theUsername under the property key passwd, using the results of openssl passwd thePassword" for the value to be inserted...

Basic niutil usage:
niutil -createprop [opts] <domain> <path> <propkey> [<val>...]

[cwasko]

Originally posted by theory:
Will niutil also change the the keychain password

No, no it will not. What gatorparrots posted is exactly the same thing as using the 'passwd' command.

[Angus_D]

Hmm, interesting. Perhaps someone should add support to change the keychain password to passwd, if anyone can be bothered. The source for Security and passwd are both there