Changing Default Shell

[Alex Zbyslaw]

John Cruz wrote:

> Lowell Gilbert wrote:
>
>> Something is wrong with the entry already in the password file.
>> Use vipw to (a) look at it, (b) fix it, and (c) rebuild the database.
>>
>>   
>
> Thanks, that did it! I tried manually editing /etc/passwd before and I 
> guess there's other ways that have to be done to change it.
>
If you edit the passwd file manually you should always use vipw.  Apart 
from locking which prevents two people editing at the same time and 
mucking things up, you also get consistency checking.

from man vipw

>      The vipw utility performs a number of consistency checks on the 
> password
>      entries, and will not allow a password file with a ``mangled'' 
> entry to
>      be installed.  If vipw rejects the new password file, the user is
>      prompted to re-enter the edit session.

--Alex