> I am trying to add a user (myself), but I am having difficulty doing so.  
> I have gone through O'Reilly and Assoc.'s _Learning the Unix Operating 
> System_, IDG's _Unix for Dummies_ (in which group I currently qualify!) 
> and IDG's _Unix Secrets_ by James C. Armstrong Jr.  None of these 
> references tells me how I can access the man page passwd(5).  When I 
> enter the command "man passwd" all I get is section 1.  That section does 
> not give me the structure for the new user's entry in the master.passwd 
> file.  The information I want is in passwd(5), but when I enter "man 
> passwd(5)", I get a message about misplaced "("s.  The only page I can 
> get is (1).

I believe many others have answered your questions about the man pages, 
but as far as your reading goes, if you're administering your own system, 
you should really check out the Red Book, i.e. the 2nd edition of the Unix 
System Administration Handbook, by Snyder, Seebass, Nemeth (and at least 
one other person whose name I'm forgetting).

I hope this helps.

Later.

-- 
Colin Wood                                      ender@is.rice.edu
Consultant                                        Rice University
Information Technology Services                       Houston, TX