*BSD News Article 91779


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Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
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From: wilko@yedi.iaf.nl (Wilko Bulte)
Subject: Re: Large passwd files = long rebuilds
Organization: Private FreeBSD site - Arnhem, The Netherlands 
Message-ID: <E799Hx.1Eq@yedi.iaf.nl>
References: <332E7A71.3BB7@ilink.nis.za> <332EBDF4.2781E494@jnet.vi>
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 1997 20:13:09 GMT
Lines: 38
Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:37423

John Lucas <jlucas@jnet.vi> writes:

>Keith Waters wrote:
>> 
>> Hi there.
>> 
>> Does anybody else get irritated with the fact that every time you
>> change a password on a FreeBSD system that has a lot of users (>10000)
>> it takes FOREVER to rebuild the password database?
>> 
>> Does anybody have a work-around for this?
>> 

>I too find this annoying. So far the only relief I have gotten is to run
>on really fast hardware (P5-200, Ultra-Wide SCSI drive) :-}

>I run an email host with 3200 accounts that has a turnover of about 650
>accounts per semester. I create master.passwd entries offline for all
>additions (requires only a single rebuild for all accounts added with
>"vipw"). For mass removals I run single-user and work offline on a copy
>of the master.passwd file and again only a single update is required for
>all removals (of course the user files/directories have to added and
>removed too). None of this helps the general case of users changing
>their passwords individually.

>I would love a password database that could be incrementally updated,
>but until one shows up, I struggle along.

I could be wrong, but AFAIK this issue has been solved. I suppose a
search on the mailing list archives will provide a pointer.

Wilko

-- 
Wilko
_     ____________________________________________________________________
 |   / o / /  _  Bulte  email: wilko@yedi.iaf.nl - Arnhem, The Netherlands
 |/|/ / / /( (_) 	Do, or do not. There is no 'try' - Yoda