[TriLUG] questions about /etc/passwd

[Mike Mueller]

Why are there so many entries besides root and my user accounts in 
/etc/passwd?  How do they get there? Any suggestions for further reading?  I 
am currently reading the User Authentication HOWTO.

[root at laptop root]# cat /etc/passwd
root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash
bin:x:1:1:bin:/bin:
daemon:x:2:2:daemon:/sbin:
adm:x:3:4:adm:/var/adm:
lp:x:4:7:lp:/var/spool/lpd:
sync:x:5:0:sync:/sbin:/bin/sync
shutdown:x:6:0:shutdown:/sbin:/sbin/shutdown
halt:x:7:0:halt:/sbin:/sbin/halt
mail:x:8:12:mail:/var/spool/mail:
news:x:9:13:news:/var/spool/news:
uucp:x:10:14:uucp:/var/spool/uucp:
operator:x:11:0:operator:/root:
games:x:12:100:games:/usr/games:
gopher:x:13:30:gopher:/usr/lib/gopher-data:
postgres:x:40:41:PostgreSQL Server:/var/lib/pgsql:/bin/bash
ftp:x:14:50:FTP User:/var/ftp:
squid:x:23:23::/var/spool/squid:/dev/null
gdm:x:42:42:GDM User:/var/lib/gdm:
htdig:x:51:51:HTDIG User:/var/lib/htdig:
dhcpd:x:19:19:Dhcpd User:/var/dhcpd:
named:x:25:25:Bind User:/var/named:
nscd:x:28:28:NSCD Daemon:/:/bin/false
rpm:x:37:37:RPM User:/var/lib/rpm:/bin/false
apache:x:48:48:Apache User:/var/www:
rpcuser:x:29:29:RPC Service User:/var/lib/nfs:/bin/false
rpc:x:32:32:Portmapper RPC user:/:/bin/false
sympa:x:89:89:Sympa Mailing list manager:/var/lib/sympa:/bin/bash
ldap:x:93:93:OpenLDAP server:/var/lib/ldap:/bin/false
nobody:x:99:99:Nobody:/:
alias:x:400:401:qmail alias user:/var/qmail/alias:/bin/true
qmaild:x:401:401:qmaild user:/var/qmail:/bin/true
qmaill:x:402:401:qmaill user:/var/qmail:/bin/true
qmailp:x:403:401:qmailp user:/var/qmail:/bin/true
qmailq:x:404:400:qmailq user:/var/qmail:/bin/true
qmailr:x:405:400:qmailr user:/var/qmail:/bin/true
qmails:x:406:400:qmails user:/var/qmail:/bin/true
dnscache:x:410:405:dnscache user:/var/djbdns:/bin/true
dnslog:x:411:405:dnslog user:/var/djbdns:/bin/true
tinydns:x:412:405:tinydns user:/var/djbdns:/bin/true
axfrdns:x:413:405:axfrdns user:/var/djbdns:/bin/true
xfs:x:414:414:X Font Server:/etc/X11/fs:/bin/false
mike01:x:501:501:Michael Mueller:/home/mike01:/bin/bash
mike02:x:1001:1001::/home/mike02:
-- 
mueller, mike

The larger purpose of the economic order, including Wall Street, is to 
support the material conditions for human existence, not to undermine and 
destabilize them.

-Editorial, The Nation, August 19, 2002