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    Linux Users and Groups Management

    Uploaded by

    Nick Calipis
    Linux allows multiple users to access the system simultaneously. It manages users through user accounts, which are uniquely identified by UIDs. User accounts store information in /etc/passwd and encrypted passwords in /etc/shadow. System administrators can create, modify, lock, unlock and delete user accounts using commands like useradd, usermod, passwd. Linux also uses group accounts to organize users, which are identified by GIDs and stored in /etc/group and /etc/gshadow. Group accounts can be managed using commands like groupadd, groupmod, and groupdel.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Linux Users and Groups Management

    Uploaded by

    Nick Calipis
    167 views15 pages
    Linux allows multiple users to access the system simultaneously. It manages users through user accounts, which are uniquely identified by UIDs. User accounts store information in /etc/passwd and encrypted passwords in /etc/shadow. System administrators can create, modify, lock, unlock and delete user accounts using commands like useradd, usermod, passwd. Linux also uses group accounts to organize users, which are identified by GIDs and stored in /etc/group and /etc/gshadow. Group accounts can be managed using commands like groupadd, groupmod, and groupdel.

    Original Description:

    Linux introduction and history

    Original Title

    linux

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    © © All Rights Reserved

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    Linux allows multiple users to access the system simultaneously. It manages users through user accounts, which are uniquely identified by UIDs. User accounts store information in /etc/passwd and encrypted passwords in /etc/shadow. System administrators can create, modify, lock, unlock and delete user accounts using commands like useradd, usermod, passwd. Linux also uses group accounts to organize users, which are identified by GIDs and stored in /etc/group and /etc/gshadow. Group accounts can be managed using commands like groupadd, groupmod, and groupdel.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    167 views15 pages

    Linux Users and Groups Management

    Uploaded by

    Nick Calipis
    Linux allows multiple users to access the system simultaneously. It manages users through user accounts, which are uniquely identified by UIDs. User accounts store information in /etc/passwd and encrypted passwords in /etc/shadow. System administrators can create, modify, lock, unlock and delete user accounts using commands like useradd, usermod, passwd. Linux also uses group accounts to organize users, which are identified by GIDs and stored in /etc/group and /etc/gshadow. Group accounts can be managed using commands like groupadd, groupmod, and groupdel.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    of 15

    LINUX USERS AND

    GROUPS
    MANAGEMENT
    INTRODUCTION

    Linux is a multi-user operating system, which means that more


    than one user can use Linux at the same time. Linux provides a
    beautiful mechanism to manage users in a system. One of the most
    important roles of a system administrator is to manage the users and
    groups in a system..
    How Linux User Accounts Work

    • A user or account of a system is uniquely identified by a numerical


    number called the UID (unique identification number). There are two
    types of users – the root or super user and normal users. A root or
    super user can access all the files, while the normal user has limited
    access to files. A super user can add, delete and modify a user
    account. The full account information is stored in the /etc/passwd file
    and a hash password is stored in the file /etc/shadow.
    Creating and Managing User Accounts
    • Creating a user with a default setting: A user can be added by running
    the useradd command at the command prompt. After creating the user, set a
    password using the
    passwd utility, as follows:
    • Syntax:
    [root@localhost bhargab]# useradd anirban
    [root@localhost bhargab]# passwd anirban
    Changing password for user anirban.
    New password:
    Retype new password:
    passwd: all authentication tokens updated successfully.
    • Specifying a user’s full name when creating a user: A systems
    administrator can use the –c option with useradd to specify the user’s
    full name, as shown below:
    • Syntax:

    [root@localhost bhargab]# useradd -c “Anirban Choudhury” anirban

    • Creating a user with the UID: You can create a user with a custom UID
    with the –u option, as follows:
    • Syntax:

    [root@localhost bhargab]# useradd -u 1036 anirban


    • Creating a user with non-default home directory: A non-default
    home directory can be set by executing the following command:
    • Syntax:

    [root@localhost bhargab]# useradd –d /home/test anirban

    • Adding a user to a primary group and supplementary group: A


    systems administrator can specify a primary group and a
    supplementary one by specifying the –g and –G option, respectively.
    • Syntax:

    [root@localhost bhargab]# useradd -g “head” -G “faculty” anirban


    • Locking and unlocking a user: A super user can lock and unlock a user
    account. To lock an account, one needs to invokepasswd with the -l option.

    [root@localhost bhargab]# passwd -l anirban


    Locking password for user anirban.
    passwd: Success

    • The –u option with passwd unlock an account, as


    shown below:

    [root@localhost bhargab]# passwd -u anirban


    Unlocking password for user anirban.
    passwd: Success
    • Changing a user name: The –l option with the usermodcommand changes the
    login (user) name, as shown below:
    • Syntax:

    [root@localhost bhargab]# usermod -l “nishant” anirban

    • Removing a user: Combining userdel with the –r option drop a user and the
    home directory associated with that user, as shown below:
    • Syntax:

    [root@localhost bhargab]# userdel -r nishant


    How Linux Group Accounts Work
    • Linux group is a mechanism to organise a collection of users. Like the
    user ID, each group is also associated with a unique ID called the GID
    (group ID). There are two types of groups – a primary group and a
    supplementary group. Each user is a member of a primary group and
    of zero or ‘more than zero’ supplementary groups. The group
    information is stored in/etc/group and the respective passwords are
    stored in the/etc/gshadow file.
    Creating and Managing Group Accounts
    • Creating a group with default settings: To add a new group with default
    settings, run the groupadd command as a root user, as shown below:

    [root@localhost bhargab]# groupadd employee

    • If you wish to add a password, then type gpasswd with the group name, as
    follow:

    [root@localhost bhargab]# gpasswd employee


    Changing the password for group employee
    New Password:
    Re-enter new password:
    • Creating a group with a specified GID: To explicitly specify the GID of
    a group, execute the groupadd command with the –goption, as
    follow:

    [root@localhost bhargab]# groupadd -g 1200 manager

    • Removing group password: To remove a group password,


    rungpasswd –r with the relevant group name, as follow:

    [root@localhost bhargab]# gpasswd -r employee


    • Changing the group’s name: To change the group’s name, run
    the groupmod command with the -n option as a super user, as shown
    below:

    [root@localhost bhargab]# groupmod -n hrmanager employee

    • Changing the group’s GID: To change the GID of a group, run


    the groupmod command with –g, as follow:

    [root@localhost bhargab]# groupmod -g 1050 manager


    • Deleting a group: Before deleting a primary group, delete the users of
    that primary group. To delete a group, run the groupdelcommand
    with the group name, as shown below:

    [root@localhost bhargab]# groupdel employee


    Recap
    • You can use both GUI or Terminal for User Administration

    • You can create, disable and delete user accounts.


    Command Description

    sudo adduser <username> Adds a user

    sudo passwd -l ‘username’ Disable a user

    sudo uesrdel -r ‘username’ Delete user

    sudo usermod -a –G GROUPNAME Add User to a Usergroup


    USERNAME
    sudo deluser user GROUPNAME Remove user from a usergroup

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