I am watching these videos with study material for the Linux+ exam. Instead of creating a new user with no password and then using the passwd command, he uses openssl passwd -crypt and then takes the hash that generates and gives it with the useradd -p option. Then the new line in /etc/shadow file is missing the encryption id and salt (i guess if none is given, it assumes not salted), so how will it know what encryption method to use?

from man 3 crypt:

And no where in there does it talk about omitting one or more of the fields.

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This page and site may help http://www.openssl.org/docs/apps/passwd.html#.
Basically, he's creating an encrypted (hashed) passwd using the old Unix style crypt algo.
Also, no salt and no id.

The system will assume 'crypt' if no id is specified.
Obviously not very secure, but ok for demo purposes I guess.
There was also a limit that only the first 8 chars would be hashed, even if more were specified in the plaintext src passwd.(!)

Thanks and stop browing LQ with windoze

I hope that's joke ...
In any case, I browse with whatever is in front of me....

Something about pot and kettle; fakie_flip's first post was from windows