Force a sync between systems when password is changed?

[Mike Keys]

We have two rp4440 boxes that have cron jobs that run and call a script containing the rdist commands to sync the /etc/passwd and /etc/group files across the two systems.

The biggest problem with this is that the user may have to change their password several times before it takes.

Explanation:

A user changes their password on system A @ 1100. The cronjob on system B used to sync its password & group files to system A runs at 1101. The cronjob on system A then syncs to system B at 1102. So, when this user logs back into system A, they are prompted to change their password again. Quite frustrating.

We are not contemplating going to NIS quite yet. What we would like to do is utilzie a script that forces the /etc/passwd file to sync to the other system when changed.

Any ideas?

Mike Keys
Decatur Memorial Hospital

[RAC_1]

The minimum granularity of the cron is 1 min. The other thing that might help you is some sort of script. What I am thinking is moving the original passwd command somewhere else and putting a wrapper. This wrapper, when passwd is invoked will do passwd change and immediately do rdisk stuff.

But beware that any program that uses passwd, or any patch that patches/orverwrites passwd will do so and your wrapper will be of no use.