How to generate a SHA-2 (sha256 or sha512) hashed password compatible with /etc/shadow

Solution Verified - Updated -

Issue

  • Using the method detailed in this Red Hat Magazine article works great to generate /etc/shadow-compatible md5-hashed passwords, but what about SHA-256 or SHA-512? The openssl passwd --help command only mentions MD5.

  • How can I generate a hashed password for /etc/shadow?

  • Need to hash a passphrase like crypt() does, with SHA512.

Environment

  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5

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