Subject: Re: need help setting up user account--no faq exists!
To: Eric B. Krauss <ebkrauss@ls.wustl.edu>
From: Dan McMahill <mcmahill@mtl.mit.edu>
List: port-mac68k
Date: 04/14/1998 00:11:47
In message <199804140330.WAA22247@ls.wustl.edu>, "Eric B. Krauss" writes:
>I have tried to no avail to set up my user account.
>
>I can't find anything in the NetBSD faq's on setting up a user account.  My
>Sobell Unix book isn't helpful at all--I follow the instructions, use vipw,
>and keep getting a line corrupted error, and vi won't let me save the file.
>
>I need step-by-step instructions, from logging on as root, on how to create
>an accoun t.  This would include anything preliminary, such as mounting the
>file system read-write, etc.
>
>Can someone point me to a page (a page that is actually UP, not the *dead*
>links mentioned in the faq) that has these instructions?  Or, could someone
>just write these instructions down and email them to me, or better yet, post
>them somewhere?
>

The following is from 
http://www.macbsd.com/macbsd/macbsd-docs/faq/faq-5.html#ss5.2

/* lines like this are my added comments */


5.2 Why isn't adduser implemented? or How do I add a new user?
       
   To manually add a user, follow the steps below, or you can read the adduser(8) man page
   for a more complete description of the process.
    1. edit the password file with vipw:
   
        # vipw
     
    2. add entry for the new user, write, and quit vipw

/* a typical line will be like the following */
juser::100:20::0:0:Joe User:/usr/juser:/bin/csh

/* where "juser" is the new user name, "100" is the user ID
   which should be unique, "20" is the group id (see /etc/group)
   "/usr/juser" will be the home directory and "/bin/csh" will
   be the default shell. Note that "man passwd" will detail
   all of these fields */

    3. add entry for the user in /etc/groups

/* should be "/etc/group".  if you want your user to be able to
   su to root, the first line should look like:
   wheel:*:0:root,juser
   */

    4. create the home directory

/*  as root
    mkdir /usr/juser
    */

    5. chown the home directory to the new userid.group

/* as root
   chown juser /usr/juser
   */

    6. set the initial password if necessary
     
        # passwd [username]
   
   If, however, you actually have a large number of users,
   or you just prefer to use a script to do it, you might 
   want to try Hubert Feyrer's (Hubert.Feyrer@rz.uni-regensburg.de)
   answer:
       
     ftp://ftp.uni-regensburg.de:/pub/NetBSD-Amiga/contrib/adduser-1.2.tar.gz
       



>This is turning into a major hassle . . .  way worse than DOS . . . I am
>thinking about ending my NetBSD "experiment" because it has been so
>exasperating .  .  . someone convince me I am wrong . . .

much,much,much better than dos for me.  NetBSD is the best thing
to ever happen to my Mac.  There is a bit of a learning curve
though.  

--Dan