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 dbmmanage 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 com-
              mand  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 httpd server on Windows, Netware and TPF.

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

       -p     Use plaintext passwords. Though htdbm will support creation on all platforms, the httpd 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 inter-
       rupted, 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)