Managing User Accounts and Groups (Tasks)

This chapter describes how to set up and maintain user accounts and groups by using the Solaris Management Console.

For information on the procedures associated with setting up and maintaining user accounts and groups with the Solaris Management Console, see Setting Up User Accounts (Task Map) and Maintaining User Accounts (Task Map).

For background information about managing user accounts and groups, see Chapter 4, Managing User Accounts and Groups (Overview).

Setting Up User Accounts (Task Map)

How to Gather User Information

You can create a form like the one that follows to gather information about users before adding their accounts.

How to Customize User Initialization Files

1. Become superuser or assume an equivalent role on the system where the users' home directories are created and shared.

2. Create a skeleton directory for each type of user.

   # mkdir /shared-dir/skel/user-type

   
   

   shared-dir	The name of a directory that is available to other systems on the network.
   user-type	The name of a directory to store initialization files for a type of user.

3. Copy the default user initialization files into the directories you created for different types of users.

   # cp /etc/skel/local.cshrc /shared-dir/skel/user-type/.cshrc # cp /etc/skel/local.login /shared-dir/skel/user-type/.login # cp /etc/skel/local.profile /shared-dir/skel/user-type/.profile

   
   

   ---

   Note - If the account has profiles assigned to it, then the user has to launch a special version of the shell called a profile shell to use commands (with any security attributes) that are assigned to the profile. There are three profile shells corresponding to the types of shells: pfsh (Bourne shell), pfcsh (C shell), and pfksh (Korn shell).

   ---

4. Edit the user initialization files for each user type and customize them based on your site's needs.

   For a detailed description on the ways to customize the user initialization files, see Customizing a User's Work Environment.

5. Set the permissions for the user initialization files.

   # chmod 744 /shared-dir/skel/user-type/.*

   
   

6. Verify that the permissions for the user initialization files are correct.

   # ls -la /shared-dir/skel/*

   
   

Example--Customizing User Initialization Files

The following example shows how to customize the C-shell user initialization file in the /export/skel/enduser directory designated for a particular type of user. For an example of a .cshrc file, see Example--.cshrc File.

# mkdir /export/skel/enduser
# cp /etc/skel/local.cshrc /export/skel/enduser/.cshrc
 
(Edit .cshrc file )
# chmod 744 /export/skel/enduser/.*

How to Add a Group with the Solaris Management Console's Groups Tool

Use this procedure to add a group to the system.

1. Become superuser or assume an equivalent role.

2. Start the Solaris Management Console.

   # /usr/sadm/bin/smc &

   
   

   For more information on starting the Solaris Management Console, see How to Start the Console as Superuser or as a Role or How to Start the Solaris Management Console in a Name Service Environment.

3. Double-click the This Computer icon under the Management Tools icon in the Navigation pane.

   A list of categories is displayed.

4. (Optional) Select the appropriate toolbox for your name service environment.

5. Double-click the System Configuration icon.

6. Double-click the User Accounts icon.

7. Provide the superuser password or the role password.

8. Double-click the Groups icon.

   Use the Context help to add a group to the system.