mkpasswd - generate new password, optionally apply it to a
       user


SYNOPSIS

       mkpasswd [ args ] [ user ]


INTRODUCTION

       mkpasswd generates passwords and can apply them  automati­
       cally  to users.  mkpasswd is based on the code from Chap­
       ter 23 of the O'Reilly book "Exploring Expect".


USAGE

       With no arguments, mkpasswd returns a new password.

            mkpasswd

       With a user name, mkpasswd assigns a new password  to  the
       user.

            mkpasswd don

       The  passwords  are  randomly  generated  according to the
       flags below.


FLAGS

       The -l flag defines  the  length  of  the  password.   The
       default  is 9.  The following example creates a 20 charac­
       ter password.

            mkpasswd -l 20

       The -d flag defines the minimum number of digits that must
       be  in  the  password.   The  default is 2.  The following
       example creates a password with at least 3 digits.

            mkpasswd -d 3

       The -c flag defines the minimum number of lowercase alpha­
       betic  characters  that  must  be  in  the  password.  The
       default is 2.

       The -C flag defines the minimum number of uppercase alpha­
       betic  characters  that  must  be  in  the  password.  The
       default is 2.

       The -s flag defines the minimum number of special  charac­
       ters that must be in the password.  The default is 1.

       The  -p  flag  names  a  program  to set the password.  By
       default,  /etc/yppasswd  is  used  if  present,  otherwise
       /bin/passwd is used.

       alternate between right  and  left  hands  (qwerty-style),
       making  it  harder  for  anyone  watching  passwords being
       entered.  This can also make it  easier  for  a  password-
       guessing program.

       The  -v flag causes the password-setting interaction to be
       visible.  By default, it is suppressed.


EXAMPLE

       The following example creates a 15-character password that
       contains at least 3 digits and 5 uppercase characters.

            mkpasswd -l 15 -d 3 -C 5


SEE ALSO

       "Exploring  Expect:  A  Tcl-Based  Toolkit  for Automating
       Interactive Programs" by Don Libes, O'Reilly  and  Associ­
       ates, January 1995.


AUTHOR

       Don Libes, National Institute of Standards and Technology

       mkpasswd is in the public domain.  NIST and I would appre­
       ciate credit if this program or parts of it are used.


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