> Hmmm, there's a problem. group(5) and gshadow(5) both specify a members > list, and if they disagree, we have a problem: which source should be > trusted? One of them? The union? The intersection? Fail if the files > don't match? I don't have a good answer. > > Do you people have any opinions? >
Some utilities (setuid root or setgid shadow or alike ones, and ones run by root to begin with such as login thingies) have access to both files, while others (e.g. "id") only have access to the former. You want all utilities to see a consistent picture (a noble goal). Doesn't this problem have obviously only one solution: rely on the first file for as many things as possible? An entry of the shadow file without a corresponding entry in the public file needs to be treated as invalid, i.e. ignored. e.
