🚀 go-pugleaf

Hi all,
      I have just recently started using linux ( Red hat 6.2) . I tried to
create a new account for a friend of mine. I got this to work without much
of a problem. My problem is I cannot set the password on this account. To
create this account I added the line

jeff:x:502:502:Jeff :/home/jeff

To the passwd file and

 jeff::11000:0:99999:7:-1:-1:134550548

to the shadow file and

jeff:x:502:

to the group file. I also created a /home/jeff directory and changed it
owner and group to jeff

This all works fine. Jeff could log in, It didn't ask for a password which
was not a issue because I thought one I logged in I could create one using
"passwd" this did not turn out to be the case.
When I type in "passwd" and typed in the new password twice, there was a
brief pause and I got the message " passwd: Permission denied". I have tried
this several different ways. Logged in as someone else and became the "su"
and used "passwd jeff", the same thing happened. I copyed an existing
password in the shadow file into jeffs password. This worked , the password
changed but it is a duplicate of my password and I still cannot change it.

Does any one know what I am doing wrong

Thanks
Mogue