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List:       freebsd-doc
Subject:    Re: FAQ updates
From:       Renaud Waldura <renaud () softway ! com>
Date:       1997-03-31 23:05:09
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Peter da Silva wrote:
> 
> If anyone sees anything in the FAQ that needs updating, feel free to send
> me suggestions, patches, and explanations. I'm averaging a couple new entries

I'd like to see an entry like "Why are usernames restricted to 8 characters
in length?"

Proposed answer (frmo what I've read in the archives):

Just changing UT_NAMESIZE and "make world" won't work, and besides it's
not considered a Good Idea.

Two main reasons for that:

1- the value for the user name length is hardcoded all over the place,
   AND in different ports. You need to edit a whole lot of source
   code. Among others: (this list from jc@irbs.com (John Capo))

/usr/src/include/protocols/rwhod.h:    char    out_name[8];            /* user id */
/usr/src/usr.sbin/lpr/lprm/lprm.c:static char  luser[16];      /* buffer for person */
/usr/src/usr.bin/rdist/main.c:char     user[10];       /* user's name */
/usr/src/usr.bin/rdist/server.c:       static char user[15], group[15];
/usr/src/games/battlestar/externs.h:char uname[9];
/usr/src/release/sysinstall/anonFTP.c:    char uid[8];                  /* UID */
/usr/src/libexec/rexecd/rexecd.c:      char user[16], pass[16];
/usr/src/libexec/rshd/rshd.c:char      username[20] = "USER=";
/usr/include/stdio.h:#define L_cuserid       9       /* size for cuserid(); UT_NAMESIZE + 1 */

2- Sun's (most?) NIS clients don't support long usernames

It has been said that this feature won't appear in 2.1.


--
-- Renaud Waldura -- -- Softway International, Inc -- -- rw@softway.com --
-- 185 Berry Street, Suite 5514 -- -- San Francisco, CA 94107 -- -- USA --
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