Moving user/group databases

[Mel]

On Friday 07 September 2007 23:51:43 jhall at vandaliamo.net wrote:
> > At 03:52 PM 9/7/2007, jhall at vandaliamo.net wrote:
> >>All of my FreeBSD servers boot from CD, and we are going to be having
> >>several temporary employees coming and going over the next 6-12 months.
> >>Is it possible to move the user/group databases from their location in
> >>/etc (which is read only on my CDs) to another location?
> >>
> >>I have read the man page concerning pw and still do not understand what I
> >>should be doing.  Any suggestions, or direction to a how-to would be
> >>greatly appreciated.
> >>
> >>Thanks,
> >>
> >>
> >>Jay
> >
> > The simplest way would be to put a symbolic link from /etc to a writable
> > location.  You will need to re-make your boot CD to have this change.
> >
> >          -Derek
> >
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> I have recreated the CD with the sym links, and I still run into a problem
> because adduser tries to create temporary files in /etc.  If I remember
> correctly, the files it tries to create are /etc/passwd.XXXXXX.
>
> I was able to get pw to work to add the user accounts, but now I am trying
> to set the password for new account, and have hit the temp file snag.
>
> Is this something which can be reconfigured in pw.conf?

pw -V /writeable/etc/

-- 
Mel