This program is part of the Samba suite.
smbpasswd allows a user to change their encrypted smb password which is stored in the smbpasswd file (usually kept in the private directory under the Samba directory hierarchy. Ordinary users can only run the command with no options. It will prompt them for their old smb password and then ask them for their new password twice, to ensure that the new password was typed correctly. No passwords will be echoed on the screen whilst being typed. If you have a blank smb password (specified by the string "NO PASSWORD" in the smbpasswd file) then just press the <Enter> key when asked for your old password.
The -add and username options can only be used by a user running as root.
The location of the server and its support files is a matter for individual system administrators. The following are thus suggestions only.
It is recommended that the smbpasswd program be installed in the /usr/local/samba/bin directory. This should be a directory readable by all, writeable only by root. The program should be executable by all. The program must be setuid root. This means the permissions should look like -r-sr-xr-x and the program must be owned by root.
This man page is correct for version 1.9.17 of the Samba suite. These notes will necessarily lag behind development of the software, so it is possible that your version of the program has extensions or parameter semantics that differ from or are not covered by this man page. Please notify these to the address below for rectification.
The smbpasswd command is only useful if Samba has been compiled with encrypted passwords. See the file ENCRYPTION.txt in the docs directory for details on how to do this.
This man page was written by Jeremy Allison. Bug reports to samba-bugs@samba.anu.edu.au.
See smb.conf(5) for a full list of contributors and details of how to submit bug reports, comments etc.