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Chapter 3 - User Management

This document discusses user and group management in Linux. It examines the /etc/group, /etc/passwd, and /etc/shadow files which store user and group information. It describes how to create, modify, and delete user accounts and groups using the useradd, usermod, userdel, groupadd, groupmod, and groupdel commands. Examples are provided for adding a user and group with specific options like UID, GID, home directory and more.

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82 views19 pages

Chapter 3 - User Management

This document discusses user and group management in Linux. It examines the /etc/group, /etc/passwd, and /etc/shadow files which store user and group information. It describes how to create, modify, and delete user accounts and groups using the useradd, usermod, userdel, groupadd, groupmod, and groupdel commands. Examples are provided for adding a user and group with specific options like UID, GID, home directory and more.

Uploaded by

Abdul Kilaa
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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CMPD393 System Administration

Chapter 3:
User Management
Objectives
• Examine /etc/group and /etc/passwd
• Create, modify, and delete user accounts with
useradd, usermod, and userdel
Overview

System Allocate User Consists User ID (derives from


Administrator Account actual name of the user)

/etc/group
Where is every user
commonly
represented? /etc/passwd

Commands to view the content: /etc/gshadow


$ cat /etc/group
$ cat /etc/passwd /etc/shadow
/etc/group
• Contains the group information for each account
• Group database is maintained in /etc/group
– Contains GID; number and name
• A group compromises one or more members
having a separate set of privileges
• A user has one primary group, AND may have
one or more supplementary group
• All the default groups are system account
specific groups and it is not recommended to
use them for ordinary accounts
/etc/group

Field 1 Field 2 Field 3 Field 4

root::0:root
• Field 1: name GID
• Field 2: blank or x  hardly used today
• Field 3: numeric GID
• Field 4: list of user for which this is their
supplementary group
/etc/group
root user’s supplementary group
root::0:root Line 1
staff::1: Line 2
bin::2:root,bin,daemon Line 3
sys::3:root,bin,sys,adm Line 4
lp::8:root,lp,adm Line 5

O Line 1: num. GID = 0, name GID = root, supplementary group for root
user
O Line 2: num. GID = 1, name GID = staff, no user has staff as
supplementary group.
O Line 3: [fill in the blank]
O Line 4: [fill in the blank]
O Line 5: [fill in the blank]
/etc/group
• groupadd command: Adding a group
• Example: create a new group “dba” with a GID
of 241
groupadd –g 241 dba
/etc/passwd
• Store all user information except password
encryption
• /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow – use by
login and passwd programs - authentication
/etc/passwd

Numeric Comment or Login


Username UID GCOS shell

dc010101:x:210:241:Surizal Nazeri:/home/dc010101:bin/ksh

Password field Numeric Home Directory


(not used) GID
/etc/passwd
dc010101:x:210:241:Surizal Nazeri:/home/dc010101:bin/ksh

• Username: name used to log on


• Password: no longer store user password. Replaced
by x
• UID: numerical user identification (unique)
• GID: user’s numerical group identification
• Comment or GCOS: user details
• Home directory: default initial location when logging
in
• Login shell: the first program executed after logging in
/etc/shadow
• For every line in /etc/passwd, there’s a
corresponding entry in /etc/shadow
• /etc/shadow stores password encryption
dc010101:2u6VExtjjXHFk:12285::::::

Password
Encryption
/etc/shadow & /etc/gshadow

• /etc/shadow − Holds the encrypted


password of the corresponding account. Not
all the systems support this file.
• /etc/gshadow − This file contains secure
group account information.
Adding a User
• useradd command: add user to the system
• Also creates user’s mailbox – set MAIL variable
to point to /var/mail or /var/spool/mail

# useradd –u 210 –g dba –c “Surizal Nazeri” \


–d /home/dc010101 –s /bin/ksh –m dc010101

Options: -d: default initial location when logging in


-u: UID -s: Login shell
-g: GID -m: ensure create home directory
-c: Comment or GCOS
Modifying Users
• usermod command: modify some of the
parameters set with useradd – for example
login shell (/bin/bash)
# usermod –s /bin/bash surizal
Removing Users
• userdel command: remove user from the system
including data in /etc/passwd and
/etc/group

• Remove user
# userdel dc010101

• Remove user together with their home directory


# userdel –r dc010101
Adding a group
• groupadd command: add group to the
system

# groupadd -g 123 mygroup

Options:
-g: GID
-f: This option causes to just exit with
-o: This option permits to add
success status, if the specified group
group with non-unique GID
already exists.
-r: This flag instructs groupadd to
g: If the specified GID already exists, other
add a system account
(unique) GID is chosen
Modifying group

• To modify a group, use the groupmod syntax

# groupmod -n new_groupname old_groupname

• Here is how you will change the mygroup GID to 234


# groupmod -g 234 mygroup
Removing group

• Delete an existing group, all you need is the


groupdel command and the group name
# groupdel mygroup
References

1. Das, S. (2012). Your UNIX/LINUX The Ultimate


Guide: Third Edition. McGraw-Hill
2. Hahn, H. (2008). Harley Hahn's Guide to Unix and
Linux. California: McGraw-Hill Higher Education

This teaching material belongs to:


Systems and Networking Department,
College of Computing and Informatics,
Universiti Tenaga Nasional.

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