What you had to do in a "mixed" network. I mean, when you have some HP running HP-UX, some SGI running IRIX: in which way i can easily add users to all (or some) systems, when I couldn't use copy and paste for the password (because other systems then my linux boxes) use only crypt (I'm not sure about that)?
Make everyone use the same thing obviously if you want to do it that way. Or use NIS/NIS+, that'll keep it all in synch to. Or centrally authenticate, LDAP for example, there are PAM modules to do this, ditto for SAMBA based auth and a few other methods.
I hope, that your breakfast is done ;-)
Unfortunately I always forget to eat breakfast, even with a large sign on my wall to remind me :P.
regards
Ralf Eisinger
Kurt Seifried SecurityPortal, your focal point for security on the net http://www.securityportal.com/