CHANGELIST(5)             OpenBSD Programmer's Manual            CHANGELIST(5)

NAME
     changelist - list of backup files

SYNOPSIS
     /etc/changelist

DESCRIPTION
     The /etc/changelist file is a simple text file containing the names of
     files to be backed up and checked for modification by the system security
     script, security(8).  It is checked daily by the /etc/daily script.  See
     daily(8) for further details.

     Each line of the file contains the name of a file, specified by its abso-
     lute pathname, one per line.  By default, configuration files in /etc,
     /root, and /var are added during system install.  Administrators may add
     additional files at their discretion.  Shell globbing is supported in
     pathnames.

     Backup files are held in the directory /var/backups.  A backup of the
     current version of a file is kept in this directory, marked "current".
     When the file is altered, the old version is marked as "backup" and the
     new version becomes "current".

     For example, the system shell database, /etc/shells, is held as
     /var/backups/etc_shells.current.  When this file is modified, it is re-
     named to /var/backups/etc_shells.backup and the new version becomes
     /var/backups/etc_shells.current.  Thereafter, these files are rotated.

     Diffs are mailed to the root administrator, in unified diff(1) format,
     via daily(8), in the following format:

           =====
           /etc/shells diffs (-OLD  +NEW)
           =====

     Files in /etc/changelist beginning with a `+' character (generally non-
     text files) are stored as md5(1) checksums.  Results are mailed in the
     following format:

           ======
           /etc/ssh/ssh_host_key MD5 checksums
           ======
           OLD:
           NEW:

     Lines beginning with the comment character (`#'), blank lines, and non-
     existent files are all silently ignored.

FILES
     /etc/changelist  Default changelist.
     /etc/daily       Maintenance script which runs security(8).
     /etc/security    Shell script which reads /etc/changelist.
     /var/backups/    Directory containing file backups.

SEE ALSO
     diff(1), md5(1), daily(8), security(8)

HISTORY
     The changelist manual page first appeared in OpenBSD 3.5.

CAVEATS
     Anyone with the privileges to alter system configuration files could also
     alter the backup files in /var/backups.  It is important that this direc-
     tory be owned by root:wheel and have permissions 0700 set.

     Removal of the /etc/changelist file itself could cause confusion.

     changelist cannot warn about files being added to the system, although
     security(8) will pick up on any files listed in /etc/changelist being
     added or deleted.  Removals are only noticed for files listed explicitly,
     but not for files matched by globbing.

     If you hose your system configuration files, you just might be able to
     find the information you need in /var/backups.  This is not a CAVEAT, but
     we had to let you know somehow!

OpenBSD 4.7                      May 18, 2009                                2
