The smbpasswd utility is similar to the passwd and yppasswd programs. It maintains the two 32 byte password fields in the passdb backend. This utility operates independently of the actual account and password storage methods used (as specified by the passdb backend in the smb.conf file.

smbpasswd works in a client-server mode where it contacts the local smbd to change the user's password on its behalf. This has enormous benefits.

smbpasswd has the capability to change passwords on Windows NT servers (this only works when the request is sent to the NT PDC if changing an NT domain user's password).

smbpasswd can be used to:

To run smbpasswd as a normal user, just type:

$ 

smbpasswd

Old SMB password: 



secret

For secret , type the old value here or press return if there is no old password.

New SMB Password: 



new secret



Repeat New SMB Password: 



new secret

If the old value does not match the current value stored for that user, or the two new values do not match each other, then the password will not be changed.

When invoked by an ordinary user, the command will allow only the user to change his or her own SMB password.

When run by root, smbpasswd may take an optional argument specifying the username whose SMB password you wish to change. When run as root, smbpasswd does not prompt for or check the old password value, thus allowing root to set passwords for users who have forgotten their passwords.

smbpasswd is designed to work in the way familiar to UNIX users who use the passwd or yppasswd commands. While designed for administrative use, this tool provides essential user-level password change capabilities.

For more details on using smbpasswd , refer to the man page (the definitive reference).