This is an old revision of the document!
Table of Contents
Users
This is pretty bare right now. This page should document how we add new users. It should also document how we intend to migrate existing users from michelob and dark.
Adding Users
There are 2 ways to add a user: useradd, and adduser. With the first, you specify the username and all the settings on the command-line. The second walks you through the process, asking you all the necessary questions.
For useradd, a command similar to the following should be used:
useradd -m -c 'John Doe' johndoe
TODO: Keeping uids synched between the 2 (and possibly 4) systems.
TODO: Default groups.
TODO: Expiration dates should be set.
Groups
These groups seem to be important in Debian:
| Group | Function |
|---|---|
| wheel | We've got it set up so these folks can sudo without a root password. |
| sudo | I believe users in this group get automatic sudo access; we're using wheel instead. |
| dialout | Users who can access the modem. |
| cdrom | Users who can access a CD-ROM disc. |
| floppy | Users who can access the floppy drive. |
| audio | Users who can access the audio devices. |
| video | Users who can access the video devices. |
| plugdev | |
| disk | Users who can access the raw disk partitions. (Dangerous!) |
| backup | |
| operator | |
| list | |
| www-data | This is the user/group that Apache runs as; anything Apache uses has to be accessible by this user or group. |
In addition, we've defined these groups (mainly grabbed from Michelob's /etc/group file):
| Group | Function |
|---|---|
| wheel | We've got it set up so these folks can sudo without a root password. |
| imnadm | No clue! |
| users | Default group that all users should belong to. |
| motd | Looks like it allows just a few people to edit the message of the day. |
| newslett | Not sure if it's used; only member is editor. |
| steercom | Ad-hoc list of Steering Committee attendees, who can access steercom directory on Michelob. |
| webhead | Users who have write access to our web sites. |
| majordom | Used for mailing list management; lists account is included. |
TODO: Create groups for:
- a group for each paid account level (eg. gold/silver)
- dial-up (RADIUS) users
- users who have paid up for the current year (paid2006, etc.)
- voting members, as defined by our articles of incorporation / by-laws
- officers
- board members
- "administrative" accounts, which are accounts used for SLUUG business, not individual use
Adding Groups
As with users, there are 2 ways to add a group: groupadd, and addgroup.
TODO: Adding users to groups.
Administrators
TODO: Adding sudoers. What groups should administrators be in? So far, it looks like wheel will suffice.
Using a User Account
TODO: Add info about how they can change their settings. Especially things like chfn, chsh, .forward, .profile, .bashrc, passwd, etc.
Migrating User Accounts
TODO: How can we migrate accounts from michelob and dark with the least hassle? User UIDs on our AIX systems start at 500. (Although there are a few in the 100 range.) On Debian, they start at 1000.
