HTDBM(1)                             htdbm                            HTDBM(1)



NAME
       htdbm - Manipulate DBM password databases


SYNOPSIS
       htdbm [ -TDBTYPE ] [ -c ] [ -m | -d | -p | -s ] [ -t ] [ -v ] [ -x ]
       filename username


       htdbm -b [ -TDBTYPE ] [ -c ] [ -m | -d | -p | -s ] [ -t ] [ -v ]
       filename username password


       htdbm -n [ -c ] [ -m | -d | -p | -s ] [ -t ] [ -v ] username


       htdbm -nb [ -c ] [ -m | -d | -p | -s ] [ -t ] [ -v ] username password


       htdbm -v [ -TDBTYPE ] [ -c ] [ -m | -d | -p | -s ] [ -t ] [ -v ]
       filename username


       htdbm -vb [ -TDBTYPE ] [ -c ] [ -m | -d | -p | -s ] [ -t ] [ -v ]
       filename username password


       htdbm -x [ -TDBTYPE ] [ -m | -d | -p | -s ] filename username


       htdbm -l [ -TDBTYPE ]



SUMMARY
       htdbm is used to manipulate the DBM format files used to store
       usernames and password for basic authentication of HTTP users via
       mod_authn_dbm. See the dbmmanage2 documentation for more information
       about these DBM files.



OPTIONS
       -b     Use batch mode; i.e., get the password from the command line
              rather than prompting for it. This option should be used with
              extreme care, since the password is clearly visible on the
              command line.

       -c     Create the passwdfile. If passwdfile already exists, it is
              rewritten and truncated. This option cannot be combined with the
              -n option.

       -n     Display the results on standard output rather than updating a
              database. This option changes the syntax of the command line,
              since the passwdfile argument (usually the first one) is
              omitted. It cannot be combined with the -c option.

       -m     Use MD5 encryption for passwords. On Windows, Netware and TPF,
              this is the default.

       -d     Use crypt() encryption for passwords. The default on all
              platforms but Windows, Netware and TPF. Though possibly
              supported by htdbm on all platforms, it is not supported by the
              httpd2 server on Windows, Netware and TPF.

       -s     Use SHA encryption for passwords. Facilitates migration from/to
              Netscape servers using the LDAP Directory Interchange Format
              (ldif).

       -p     Use plaintext passwords. Though htdbm will support creation on
              all platforms, the httpd2 daemon will only accept plain text
              passwords on Windows, Netware and TPF.

       -l     Print each of the usernames and comments from the database on
              stdout.

       -t     Interpret the final parameter as a comment. When this option is
              specified, an additional string can be appended to the command
              line; this string will be stored in the "Comment" field of the
              database, associated with the specified username.

       -v     Verify the username and password. The program will print a
              message indicating whether the supplied password is valid. If
              the password is invalid, the program exits with error code 3.

       -x     Delete user. If the username exists in the specified DBM file,
              it will be deleted.

       filename
              The filename of the DBM format file. Usually without the
              extension .db, .pag, or .dir. If -c is given, the DBM file is
              created if it does not already exist, or updated if it does
              exist.

       username
              The username to create or update in passwdfile. If username does
              not exist in this file, an entry is added. If it does exist, the
              password is changed.

       password
              The plaintext password to be encrypted and stored in the DBM
              file. Used only with the -b flag.

       -TDBTYPE
              Type of DBM file (SDBM, GDBM, DB, or "default").


BUGS
       One should be aware that there are a number of different DBM file
       formats in existence, and with all likelihood, libraries for more than
       one format may exist on your system. The three primary examples are
       SDBM, NDBM, GNU GDBM, and Berkeley/Sleepycat DB 2/3/4. Unfortunately,
       all these libraries use different file formats, and you must make sure
       that the file format used by filename is the same format that htdbm
       expects to see. htdbm currently has no way of determining what type of
       DBM file it is looking at. If used against the wrong format, will
       simply return nothing, or may create a different DBM file with a
       different name, or at worst, it may corrupt the DBM file if you were
       attempting to write to it.


       One can usually use the file program supplied with most Unix systems to
       see what format a DBM file is in.


EXIT STATUS
       htdbm returns a zero status ("true") if the username and password have
       been successfully added or updated in the DBM File. htdbm returns 1 if
       it encounters some problem accessing files, 2 if there was a syntax
       problem with the command line, 3 if the password was entered
       interactively and the verification entry didn't match, 4 if its
       operation was interrupted, 5 if a value is too long (username,
       filename, password, or final computed record), 6 if the username
       contains illegal characters (see the Restrictions section), and 7 if
       the file is not a valid DBM password file.


EXAMPLES
             htdbm /usr/local/etc/apache/.htdbm-users jsmith



       Adds or modifies the password for user jsmith. The user is prompted for
       the password. If executed on a Windows system, the password will be
       encrypted using the modified Apache MD5 algorithm; otherwise, the
       system's crypt() routine will be used. If the file does not exist,
       htdbm will do nothing except return an error.


             htdbm -c /home/doe/public_html/.htdbm jane



       Creates a new file and stores a record in it for user jane. The user is
       prompted for the password. If the file exists and cannot be read, or
       cannot be written, it is not altered and htdbm will display a message
       and return an error status.


             htdbm -mb /usr/web/.htdbm-all jones Pwd4Steve



       Encrypts the password from the command line (Pwd4Steve) using the MD5
       algorithm, and stores it in the specified file.


SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS
       Web password files such as those managed by htdbm should not be within
       the Web server's URI space -- that is, they should not be fetchable
       with a browser.


       The use of the -b option is discouraged, since when it is used the
       unencrypted password appears on the command line.


RESTRICTIONS
       On the Windows and MPE platforms, passwords encrypted with htdbm are
       limited to no more than 255 characters in length. Longer passwords will
       be truncated to 255 characters.


       The MD5 algorithm used by htdbm is specific to the Apache software;
       passwords encrypted using it will not be usable with other Web servers.


       Usernames are limited to 255 bytes and may not include the character :.




Apache HTTP Server                2009-02-12                          HTDBM(1)
