Actually, the answer was so simple I couldn't figure it out (must be my
over-engineering background). As several pointed out, I only need to enter
in the USER file the userID with a unique, bogus password to accomplish what
I want. Since most of my users do not have shell access, this shouldn't be
much of a security risk. My USER file is still nearly a virgin, and I would
rather use /etc/passwd. This is all to prevent people who should've known
better from using their name/passwords for dial-up access, ie- customers who
have extra email accounts, and some ether-connected people.
thanks again!!
John