grpck(8)

NAME

   grpck - verify integrity of group files

SYNOPSIS

   grpck [options] [group [ shadow ]]

DESCRIPTION

   The grpck command verifies the integrity of the groups information. It
   checks that all entries in /etc/group and /etc/gshadow have the proper
   format and contain valid data. The user is prompted to delete entries
   that are improperly formatted or which have other uncorrectable errors.

   Checks are made to verify that each entry has:

   *   the correct number of fields

   *   a unique and valid group name

   *   a valid group identifier (/etc/group only)

   *   a valid list of members and administrators

   *   a corresponding entry in the /etc/gshadow file (respectively
       /etc/group for the gshadow checks)

   The checks for correct number of fields and unique group name are
   fatal. If an entry has the wrong number of fields, the user will be
   prompted to delete the entire line. If the user does not answer
   affirmatively, all further checks are bypassed. An entry with a
   duplicated group name is prompted for deletion, but the remaining
   checks will still be made. All other errors are warnings and the user
   is encouraged to run the groupmod command to correct the error.

   The commands which operate on the /etc/group and /etc/gshadow files are
   not able to alter corrupted or duplicated entries.  grpck should be
   used in those circumstances to remove the offending entries.

OPTIONS

   The -r and -s options cannot be combined.

   The options which apply to the grpck command are:

   -h, --help
       Display help message and exit.

   -r, --read-only
       Execute the grpck command in read-only mode. This causes all
       questions regarding changes to be answered no without user
       intervention.

   -R, --root CHROOT_DIR
       Apply changes in the CHROOT_DIR directory and use the configuration
       files from the CHROOT_DIR directory.

   -s, --sort
       Sort entries in /etc/group and /etc/gshadow by GID.

   By default, grpck operates on /etc/group and /etc/gshadow. The user may
   select alternate files with the group and shadow parameters.

CONFIGURATION

   The following configuration variables in /etc/login.defs change the
   behavior of this tool:

   MAX_MEMBERS_PER_GROUP (number)
       Maximum members per group entry. When the maximum is reached, a new
       group entry (line) is started in /etc/group (with the same name,
       same password, and same GID).

       The default value is 0, meaning that there are no limits in the
       number of members in a group.

       This feature (split group) permits to limit the length of lines in
       the group file. This is useful to make sure that lines for NIS
       groups are not larger than 1024 characters.

       If you need to enforce such limit, you can use 25.

       Note: split groups may not be supported by all tools (even in the
       Shadow toolsuite). You should not use this variable unless you
       really need it.

FILES

   /etc/group
       Group account information.

   /etc/gshadow
       Secure group account information.

   /etc/passwd
       User account information.

EXIT VALUES

   The grpck command exits with the following values:

   0
       success

   1
       invalid command syntax

   2
       one or more bad group entries

   3
       can't open group files

   4
       can't lock group files

   5
       can't update group files

SEE ALSO

   group(5), groupmod(8), gshadow(5), passwd(5), pwck(8), shadow(5).

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