[CentOS] Backing up pass words

Thu Aug 26 18:14:18 UTC 2010
Mark <mhullrich at gmail.com>

On Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 10:40 AM, Todd Cary <todd at aristesoftware.com> wrote:
>  I am currently running CentOS 4 and want to install CentOS 5.
> To do that, I plan to install a new HD in my server box onto
> which CentOS will be installed.  I will then copy the "home"
> directory from the old drive or from a backup on a USB drive,
> however I am not sure how to handle the Users/Passwords from the
> old installation.
>

Depends on what kind of security you are running.  If it's just plain
vanilla Linux login security, save the old /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow
(and /etc/group) files, then restore the lines for accounts/groups you
added on 4 to the new one that gets installed on 5.

Remember, though, that when you do a fresh installation, you will be
asked to create a user account for initial logins.  Make sure you
match one of your old ones, or use a completely different one you can
delete later.

That should do it.

Mark