<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<refentry id='gshadow.5'>
  <!-- $Id$ -->
  <refmeta>
    <refentrytitle>gshadow</refentrytitle>
    <manvolnum>5</manvolnum>
    <refmiscinfo class="sectdesc">File Formats and Conversions</refmiscinfo>
  </refmeta>
  <refnamediv id='name'>
    <refname>gshadow</refname>
    <refpurpose>shadowed group file</refpurpose>
  </refnamediv>

  <refsect1 id='description'>
    <title>DESCRIPTION</title>
    <para>
      <filename>/etc/gshadow</filename> contains the shadowed information
      for group accounts. It contains lines with the following
      colon-separated fields:
    </para>
    <itemizedlist mark='bullet'>
      <listitem>
	<para>group name</para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
	<para>encrypted password</para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
	<para>comma-separated list of group administrators</para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
	<para>comma-separated list of group members</para>
      </listitem>
    </itemizedlist>

    <para>
      The group name and password fields must be filled. The encrypted
      password consists of characters from the 64-character alphabet a thru
      z, A thru Z, 0 thru 9, \. and /. Refer to <citerefentry>
      <refentrytitle>crypt</refentrytitle><manvolnum>3</manvolnum>
      </citerefentry> for details on how this string is interpreted. If the
      password field contains some string that is not valid result of
      <citerefentry><refentrytitle>crypt</refentrytitle><manvolnum>3</manvolnum>
      </citerefentry>, for instance ! or *, the user will not be able to use
      a unix password to log in, subject to <citerefentry>
      <refentrytitle>pam</refentrytitle><manvolnum>7</manvolnum></citerefentry>.
    </para>

    <para>
      This information supersedes any password present in
      <filename>/etc/group</filename>.
    </para>

    <para>
      This file must not be readable by regular users if password security
      is to be maintained.
    </para>
  </refsect1>

  <refsect1 id='files'>
    <title>FILES</title>
    <variablelist>
      <varlistentry>
	<term><filename>/etc/group</filename></term>
	<listitem>
	  <para>Group account information.</para>
	</listitem>
      </varlistentry>
      <varlistentry>
	<term><filename>/etc/gshadow</filename></term>
	<listitem>
	  <para>Secure group account information.</para>
	</listitem>
      </varlistentry>
    </variablelist>
  </refsect1>

  <refsect1 id='see_also'>
    <title>SEE ALSO</title>
    <para>
      <citerefentry>
	<refentrytitle>group</refentrytitle><manvolnum>5</manvolnum>
      </citerefentry>,
      <citerefentry>
	<refentrytitle>gpasswd</refentrytitle><manvolnum>5</manvolnum>
      </citerefentry>,
      <citerefentry>
	<refentrytitle>newgrp</refentrytitle><manvolnum>5</manvolnum>
      </citerefentry>.
    </para>
  </refsect1>
</refentry>
