MKPASSWD(1)                 General Commands Manual                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 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  charac-
       ters that must be in the password.  The default is 2.

       The  -C flag defines the minimum number of uppercase alphabetic charac-
       ters 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 any-
       one 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 Pro-
       grams" 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  appreciate  credit
       if this program or parts of it are used.





                                22 August 1994                     MKPASSWD(1)
