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RHEL Administration - Lecture#04

The document covers user and group management in Red Hat Enterprise Linux, detailing types of users such as local and global users, along with their respective User IDs (UID) and Group IDs (GID). It explains user-related directories and provides commands for creating, modifying, deleting, and switching users. Key commands and their functions are highlighted, including user creation, password management, and user deletion options.

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22 views4 pages

RHEL Administration - Lecture#04

The document covers user and group management in Red Hat Enterprise Linux, detailing types of users such as local and global users, along with their respective User IDs (UID) and Group IDs (GID). It explains user-related directories and provides commands for creating, modifying, deleting, and switching users. Key commands and their functions are highlighted, including user creation, password management, and user deletion options.

Uploaded by

javid.khan8478
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Red Hat Enterprise Linux Administration

Lecture #04

Users and Groups in Linux

Types of Users

1.​ Local Users (Exist on a single machine)​

○​ Root (Super User):


■​ Can do anything, including modifying system files.
○​ System Users:
■​ These users cannot log in but are needed for services to run.
■​ Examples: http, mysql.
○​ Normal Users:
■​ Limited permissions unless modified.
■​ Example: A normal user like kashif.

2.​ Global Users (Used in network environments)​

○​ Managed in networked environments like Active Directory (AD).


○​ Used for centralized user management across multiple machines.

User ID (UID) and Group ID (GID)

●​ UID (User ID):


○​ 0 → Root.
○​ 1-999 → System users.
○​ 1000-60000 → Normal users.
●​ GID (Group ID):
○​ 0 → Root group.
○​ 1-999 → System groups.
○​ 1000-60000 → Normal user groups.

Its default id’s we can change it

User-Related Directories
Directory Purpose

/root Home directory of the root user.

/home Contains home directories for normal users.

/etc/passwd Stores user account information.

/etc/shadow Stores encrypted user passwords.

/etc/login.defs Defines default settings for user creation.

etc/passwd file and contains user account information in Linux. Each field has a specific
meaning.

Field Value Meaning

Username shadow01 The login name of the user.

Password x The actual password is stored in /etc/shadow (not


Placeholder visible here).

User ID (UID) 1000 The unique ID assigned to this user (1000+ means a
normal user).

Group ID (GID) 1000 The primary group ID of the user.

User Description Shadow 01 A comment or description (set during user creation


(Comment) with -c).

Home Directory /home/shado The user's personal folder.


w01

Login Shell /bin/bash The default shell for this user (e.g., Bash, Zsh).
Tab Button for Auto-Completion

●​ When typing a command, Just write the first one or two letters and press Tab to
auto-complete a command, filename, or directory name.
●​ Works for short words and common Linux commands.

User Management Commands

Creating a User
Basic user creation:​
​
useradd Ali

○​ Creates a user but does not set a password.

Setting a password:​
​
passwd Ali

○​ Prompts to enter a password (you won’t see it as you type).

Password must be show when we type:​


​
password Ali - -stdin

Leave a user without a password:​


​
password -d Ali

○​ Not Recommended.

Modifying Users
Check user details:​
​
id kashif

○​ Shows UID of user kashif.

Creating a user with a specific UID:​


​
useradd -u 1050 kashif

○​ Assigns UID 1050 to kashif instead of a default one.


Change user details:​
​
usermod -c "IT Team" kashif

○​ -c (comment) adds a description to the user.

Change login name:​


​
usermod -l Kashi kashif

○​ Renames the user from kashif to Kashi.

Deleting Users
Delete a user (but keep home directory):​
​
userdel Adil

○​ Removes the user but keeps their files.

Delete a user and their home directory:​


​
userdel -r Ali

○​ -r deletes the user and their home directory.

Force delete a user and their profile directory:​


​
userdel -rf Ali

○​ -rf removes the user forcefully (including any files and processes).

Switching Users
Basic switch:​
​
su Asif

○​ Switches to the user Asif (but keeps the current environment).

Switch and load full user environment:​


​
su - Asif

○​ Loads Asif’s full profile and environment (/home/Asif).

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Prepared by: Tasneem Ulhaq

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