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Netra j 3.0 Administrator's Guide

User Accounts

The User Accounts module is used to add new user accounts and to modify or delete existing ones. Creating an account allocates the new user a home directory on the Netra server and enables the user to access the services that are available on it, which can include mail for example. The account can be accessed through standard protocols such as telnet, rlogin, ftp and rsh, provided the server is configured to accept them.

For users to be able to login to NCs administered by the Netra server, the server must be configured as the NIS master of the NIS domain that is used by the NCs.

Note -

All users added by the User Module are local users on the Netra j host. This is so regardless of the NIS status of the server. If the Netra j server is configured as a NIS master server at any stage, then these users are ALSO pushed to the NIS name space and are referred to as NIS users in the User Administration forms.

The form asks you to specify a default shell for the user, including an option No shell (NC and email only). If this option is chosen, the user is not allowed to log in to the Netra j server, but can use a NC that is administered by the server. They can also receive mail on the server if it is configured as a mail server.

A password must be specified on creating a user account. This password can be used for login to a NC regardless of the shell chosen. However, if a server login shell is enabled, the password acts as an initial password for such server logins. Before a server login is completed, the user must provide and verify a new password.

If no users are defined, only the Add A User option is available. When user accounts have been added, there are also options to Modify or Delete specific users. When a user account is removed, the corresponding home directory is deleted recursively and the users mailbox is removed. The user is no longer able to log into the server.

The user account module can only be used for ordinary users. System users such as root and ftp or the Netra setup user cannot be administered from the module.

Configuring Users' Home Directories

Each user's home directory is automatically shared thought NFS by the system and the automounter home database is updated to include the directory. This allows the home directory to be automounted by any NC the user logs on to, provided the Netra server is the NIS master for the NIS domain used by that NC.

To Add a User Account

  1. From the Main Administration page, under "System Administration," click User Accounts.

    The User Accounts Administration page is displayed.

  2. Under "New Users," click Add A User.

    The Add A Local User page is displayed.

  3. Complete the form using the information in the following table.

    Table 9-12 User Accounts

    Option 

    Description 

    User Name 

    The login name of the user to add or modify. For example, jsmith. The user name must be unique and must not be among the list reserved for systems users. If such a name is chosen, the User Accounts module asks for another. The reserved user name list is displayed on the help page.

    Password 

    The password the user must provide when logging in to the Netra server for the first time.  

    Retype Password 

    As the password is not echoed on the screen, it must be confirmed by re-entering it. 

    Full Name 

    The full name of the user you want to add/modify. Example: Jerry Lee Smith 

    Login Shell 

    The default shell for the user. Choose C shell (csh), Korn shell (ksh), Bourne shell (sh), or No shell (NC and email only). If you choose No shell (NC and email only), the user gets mail on the Netra server, but cannot log in.

    Home Directory Server  

    Specify the host name where the home directory of each user resides. This information is used to configure the automounter. If the Netra server is a NIS master server, the auto.home map is also updated. If the user's home directory is on this local system itself, then sharing of the user' home directory through the Network File System (NFS) is enabled. If the server is remote, the home directory(s) must be created and shared from the remote host that must be reachable on the network. 

    Base Directory 

    The full path to a base directory that holds the user's home directory on the server specified above; for example, if /export/home is entered as the base directory and the server specified is the local host, a successful addition of a user called sample creates a home directory: /export/home/sample

     

    If the server is the local system and the base directory does not exist, then if possible, the base directory is created.If a remote server is specified for the home directory, then the user must have this base directory on the remote server. In the local system files, the user is then configured with /home/<username> so that the mounted directory can be used. Note1: The root directory is rejected as a base directory. Note2: When the local server is specified above, a mount point cannot be used as the base directory.

To Add Users From a File

  1. From the Main Administration page, under "System Administration," click User Accounts.

    The User Accounts Administration page is displayed.

  2. Under "New Users," click Add users from a file.

    The Add users from a file page is displayed.

  3. Complete the form using the information in the following table.

    Table 9-13 Adding Users From a File

    Option 

    Description 

    Input File 

    The full path to a UNIX file, which must be correctly formatted. No comments, blank lines, or space characters are allowed. For example, if the field separator specified below is a comma, each line entry must be formatted as follows: username,<UID>,password. The username and password must be composed of one to eight alphanumeric characters. Each username must be unique and must NOT be any of the following system account names; root, daemon, bin, sys, adm, lp, smtp, uucp, nuucp, listen, nobody, noaccess, nobody4, setup, ftp. The UID must be between 1000 and 59999. The administrator can optionally leave the uid field blank and one is assigned. For security reasons, the input file must be owned by root with all group/other permissions removed.

    Field Separator 

    The character used to delimit each field in the input file.  

    Home Directory Server 

    Specify the host name where the home directory of each user resides. This information is used to configure the automounter. If the Netra server is a NIS master server, the auto.home map is also updated. If the user's home directory is on this local system itself, then sharing of the user's home directory through the Network File System (NFS) is enabled. If the server is remote, the home directory(s) must be created and shared from the remote host that must be reachable on the network 

    Base Directory 

    The full path to a base directory that holds the user's home directory on the server specified above; for example, if /export/home is entered as the base directory and the server specified is the local host, a successful addition of a user called sample creates a home directory: /export/home/sample

     

    If the server is the local system and the base directory does not exist, then if possible, the base directory is created. If a remote server is specified for the home directory, then the user must have this base directory on the remote server. In the local system files, the user is then configured with /home/<username> so that the mounted directory can be used. Note1: The root directory is rejected as a base directory. Note2: When the local server is specified above, a mount point cannot be used as the base directory.

To Modify or Delete a User Account

  1. From the Main Administration page, under "System Administration," click User Accounts.

    The User Administration page is displayed, with a Modify or Delete option for each existing account.

  2. Under "Existing Users," click one of the following options:

    • To modify an existing account, click Modify and make the changes in the form using Table 9-12 and the following table.

    • To delete a user account, click Delete, and then confirm the operation.

    Table 9-14 Other User Account Options

    Option 

    Description 

    Change password? 

    This option is available only when an existing user account already has a password. Password changes must be confirmed. If checked yes, this option changes the user's password to the string in the "Password" field for the user's next login. 

    Home Directory Path 

    Specify the full path name of the user's home directory.  

    For example, /export/home/username.

     

    If a remote server is specified as the host for the home directory, the path name entered must be the path shared from the REMOTE server. The user is then configured with /home/username as a home directory in the local server files, as this is where the share is mounted for that username.

    Note -

    The root directory is rejected as a user directory.

    Note -

    When the local server is specified above, a mount point cannot be used to include the user directory.