An administrator examines the line below from /etc/shadow for user alice: alice:$6$Xh3...:18570:0:99999:7::: What does the “7” represent in this record?
Duration in days after expiry until the account is disabled
Number of days users receive notices before their credential’s validity ends
Maximum span in days a credential remains valid before a change is required
Minimal interval in days users must wait between credential updates
The fifth numeric field in an /etc/shadow entry specifies the warning period in days before a credential expires. In this example, alice receives alerts starting seven days prior to password expiry. Other numeric fields control minimum days between changes (field 4), maximum days of validity (field 5), and inactive span after expiration (field 7), so those options correspond to different positions and are incorrect.
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