Upgrading base in 1.1beta needs to be smarter about etc/{passwd,group}
Now that ftp.debian.org is working again, I spent a few hours yesterday
downloading new versions of all the packages that changed since the
last time ftp.debian.org was working.
When the base package was being upgraded, I was given the option of
either replacing /etc/passwd and /etc/group with the new distributed
versions, or keeping the old versions.
Neither option seems best. If I keep the old, I don't get the new
"standard" users and goups (who, or what, is amanda, and why does it
get a standard entry in passwd?), or and corrections. If I replace
with the new, my users lose the ability to log in, or deliver complains
about invalid groups (it happened to me, it might happen to you).
Worse, the root password is cleared!
There should probably be written a script to merge the old and new
passwd and group files in a sensible manner. I believe a sensible
manner for passwd would be to take all the old entries that have
passwords, all the standard entries from the new (which should -just-
be standard entries) that don't conflict with old entries with
passwords or old entries with the same uid but different name, and to
ask about other cases not covered. An analogous method for /etc/group
should also be fairly sensible.
Just my 2 cents...
--
Buddha Buck bmbuck@acsu.buffalo.edu
"She was infatuated with their male prostitutes, whose members were
like those of donkeys and whose seed came in floods like that of
stallions." -- Ezekiel 23:20
--
Buddha Buck bmbuck@acsu.buffalo.edu
"She was infatuated with their male prostitutes, whose members were
like those of donkeys and whose seed came in floods like that of
stallions." -- Ezekiel 23:20
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