group

 

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 File Formats                                             group(4)
 
 
 


NAME
      group - group file
 


DESCRIPTION
      The group file is a local source of group  information.  The
      group  file  can  be  used  in  conjunction with other group
      sources,  including   the   NIS   maps    group.byname   and
      group.bygid  and  the  NIS+  table   group. Programs use the
      getgrnam(3C) routines to access this information.
 
      The  group file contains a one-line  entry  for  each  group
      recognized by the system, of the form:
 
      groupname:password: gid:user-list
 
      where
 
      groupname
            The name of the group.
 
      gid   The group's unique numerical ID (GID) within the  sys-
            tem.
 
      user-list
            A comma-separated list of users allowed in the group.
 
      The maximum value of the  gid field is 2137483647. To maxim-
      ize  interoperability  and compatibility, administrators are
      recommended to assign groups using the range of  GIDs  below
      60000 where possible.
 
      If the password field is empty,  no  password  is  demanded.
      During  user  identification and authentication, the supple-
      mentary group access list is initialized  sequentially  from
      information  in  this file. If a user is in more groups than
      the system is configured for, {NGROUPS_MAX}, a warning  will
      be   given  and  subsequent  group  specifications  will  be
      ignored.
 
      Malformed entries cause routines  that  read  this  file  to
      halt,  in  which  case  group  assignments specified further
      along are never made.  To prevent this from  happening,  use
      grpck(1B)  to  check  the  /etc/group  database from time to
      time.
 
      Previous releases used a group entry beginning  with  a  `+'
      (plus  sign)  or `-' (minus sign) to selectively incorporate
      entries from NIS maps for group. If still required, this  is
      supported  by  specifying  group:compat in nsswitch.conf(4).
      The  ``compat''  source  may  not  be  supported  in  future
      releases.  The  preferred sources are, ``files'' followed by
      ``nisplus''. This has the effect of incorporating the entire
 
 
 
 SunOS 5.8           Last change: 14 May 1998                    1
 
 
 
 
 
 
 File Formats                                             group(4)
 
 
 
      contents of the NIS+ group table after the  group file.
 
 EXAMPLES
      Example 1: Sample of a group File
 
      Here is a sample  group file:
 
      root::0:root
      stooges:q.mJzTnu8icF.:10:larry,moe,curly
 
      and the sample group entry from nsswitch.conf:
 
      group: files nisplus
 
      With these entries, the  group  stooges  will  have  members
      larry,  moe,  and   curly, and all groups listed in the NIS+
      group table are effectively incorporated after the entry for
      stooges.
 
      If the  group file was:
 
      root::0:root
      stooges:q.mJzTnu8icF.:10:larry,moe,curly
      +:
 
      and the group entry from nsswitch.conf:
 
      group: compat
 
      all  the  groups  listed  in   the   NIS   group.bygid   and
      group.byname  maps  would  be effectively incorporated after
      the entry for stooges.
 


SEE ALSO
      groups(1),     grpck(1B),      newgrp(1),      getgrnam(3C),
      initgroups(3C), nsswitch.conf(4), unistd(3HEAD)
 
      System Administration Guide, Volume 1
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 SunOS 5.8           Last change: 14 May 1998                    2
 
 
 

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