Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!uunet!cbmvax!ditto
From: ditto@cbmvax.UUCP (Michael "Ford" Ditto)
Newsgroups: unix-pc.general
Subject: Re: /etc/pwcntl on the 3B1 (3.51), anyone?
Summary: priliminary guess at format
Keywords: pwcntl login lastlog
Message-ID: <5439@cbmvax.UUCP>
Date: 6 Dec 88 00:41:18 GMT
References: <7059@chinet.chi.il.us>
Reply-To: ditto@cbmvax.UUCP (Michael "Ford" Ditto)
Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA
Lines: 34

In article <7059@chinet.chi.il.us> ignatz@chinet.chi.il.us (Dave Ihnat) writes:
>Before I waste my time re-inventing the wheel, I guess I'll ask here.
 [ ... ]
>Has someone else taken this file apart?  If not, it shouldn't be too
>outrageous, but I'd prefer not to duplicate effort. 

When I first looked at this file a long time ago, I was under the
impression that it only recorded failed login attempts, but since it
was definately modified when I logged in just now, I guess I was
wrong.  It definitely does record unsuccessful attempts, though;
even unknown login names.

Here's what I've been able to figure out from the file itself:

	struct pwcntl
	{
	    char name[8];	/* name entered at login: */
	    int uid;		/* seems to be garbage for failed logins */
	    char flag;		/* always 'Y' or 'N', what does it mean? */
	    /* char pad; */
	    long last_login;	/* last login attempt */
	    long first_login;	/* time when this entry was created */
	    long unknown;	/* always zero, what does it mean? */
	}; /* 26 bytes total */

Has anyone ever seen this file on anything other than a Unix PC?
Anyone with further observations/conclusions, please post!
-- 
					-=] Ford [=-

"The number of Unix installations	(In Real Life:  Mike Ditto)
has grown to 10, with more expected."	ford@kenobi.cts.com
- The Unix Programmer's Manual,		...!sdcsvax!crash!elgar!ford
  2nd Edition, June, 1972.		ditto@cbmvax.commodore.com