Numeric vs. Alphanumeric gid's in /etc/master.passwd file?

[Net BSD Support <bsd%blkhole.resun.com@localhost>]

Hi, All:

I've just recently moved from NetBSD 1.2 to the current version, NetBSD
1.2G from NetBSD.org.  I tried to take my master.passwd file from the old
version and use it under 1.2G.  Things are fine until I try to change a
password or do a 'vipw', at which point I get a complaint that the
alphanumeric group ids are invalid.  I seem to remember reading under the
old version that alphanumeric group ids were permitted.  Indeed, this is
born out by the fact that my old master.passwd file contains them.

I've checked the sources between the two versions and can see that some
changes were being made in the area, however, none of them would seem to
account for the discrepancy.  I'm probably not looking at the relevant
source, since there seems to be no conversion attempted between the
alphanumeric group id in the master.passwd file and the group file.

My questions are:

Have I somehow botched the generation of the 1.2G system, or is there a
move to only allow numeric group ids in the master.passwd file?

If alphanumeric group ids are supposed to be allowed, what source file am
I missing that performs the required translation?

Thanks,
-- 
  Don Phillips         bsd%blkhole.resun.com@localhost
  Research Unlimited
  Escondido, Calif.    My opinions are just that, and no more.