cml@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Christopher Lott) (12/03/87)
Hello,
I work at OSU, and we've run into the problem of maintaining group and
passwd files that seem to grow exponentially at the beginning of each
academic quarter... I'm sure you know how that goes.
My question: Has anyone tried leaving users _out_ of their login
group in /etc/group to reduce the size of the group file?
Example: I am cml@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu. My passwd line on tut:
cml:0MUsin/l3Py6g:3029:10:Christopher Lott....
I am in group 10. I also appear in the group file:
staff:*:10:.........,cml,........
Can I take myself out of the staff line in the group file
without breaking anything?
I removed myself from the group file some time ago. So far, I have
noticed no differences. Please note that I am asking with reference
to pyramids and suns (running yp).
Thanks in advance for any and all help. I try to keep up with news,
so either posting or direct reply is fine.
ChrisL...
------
Christopher Lott, Department of Computer and Information Science
The Ohio State University; 2036 Neil Avenue Columbus OH 43210
cml@ohio-state.{arpa,csnet} or ...!cbosgd!osu-cis!cml
Preferred: cml@cis.ohio-state.edugandalf@russell.STANFORD.EDU (Juergen Wagner) (12/03/87)
You will be in a default group automatically (wheel, the first entry). Unless you grant members of this group special access privileges to certain files/directories ... nothing bad can happen. In fact, it is sufficient to put only privileged users into /etc/group. -- Juergen Wagner, gandalf@Russell.Stanford.edu Center for the Study of Language and Information (CSLI), Stanford CA
matt@oddjob.UChicago.EDU (Schizophrenic Solipsist) (12/03/87)
Christopher Lott writes:
) My question: Has anyone tried leaving users _out_ of their login
) group in /etc/group to reduce the size of the group file?
I never include a user in the line of /etc/group which corresponds to
the group they are assigned in /etc/passwd. No problem.
________________________________________________________
Matt University matt@oddjob.uchicago.edu
Crawford of Chicago {astrovax,ihnp4}!oddjob!mattrjd@occrsh.ATT.COM (12/04/87)
> My question: Has anyone tried leaving users _out_ of their login > group in /etc/group to reduce the size of the group file? Well, on AT&T Sys V, the group file is used just to define the alpha string associated with the group number and for the "newgrp" command to allow a person not logged into the group to change to that group. So, if you do not log into the group and need to get into the group (and realy DO want to use "newgrp"), you must have your login id there to accept it. If you log into the group, though, you are already allowed by the passwd file entry, so the group file line does not need to have your loginid in it, unless you newgrp away and want to newgrp back. Randy
sdejarne@polyslo.UUCP (12/05/87)
In article <14102@oddjob.UChicago.EDU> matt@oddjob.UChicago.EDU (Schizophrenic Solipsist) writes: >Christopher Lott writes: > >) My question: Has anyone tried leaving users _out_ of their login >) group in /etc/group to reduce the size of the group file? > >I never include a user in the line of /etc/group which corresponds to >the group they are assigned in /etc/passwd. No problem. We have never included users in the line of /etc/group that corresponds to their login group (group defined in /etc/passwd). We only include them in other groups. Cuts down on the size of the /etc/group file. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Steve DeJarnett | ...!ihnp4!csun!polyslo!sdejarne | | Computer Systems Lab | ...!{csustan,csun,sdsu}!polyslo!sdejarne | | Cal Poly State Univ | ...!ucbvax!voder!polyslo!sdejarne | | San Luis Obispo, CA 93407 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #include <std_disclaimer.h>
dave@lsuc.UUCP (12/08/87)
cml@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Christopher Lott) writes: > >My question: Has anyone tried leaving users _out_ of their login >group in /etc/group to reduce the size of the group file? In v7 and any of its derivatives (perhaps all), login does not look at /etc/group. Your group number is set in your /etc/passwd entry. /etc/group is used: (a) to assign a name to that group for purposes of ls -lg and similar needs; and (b) to permit newgrp and similar mechanisms for changing your "current" group. (Yes, I know 4.xBSD does this part differently.) We have lots of users whose login names don't appear in their group files. David Sherman The Law Society of Upper Canada Toronto -- { uunet!mnetor pyramid!utai decvax!utcsri ihnp4!utzoo } !lsuc!dave Pronounce it ell-ess-you-see, please...
cball@ishmael.UUCP (12/08/87)
We have left default group entries out of /etc/group for years. The only potential problem is when people need to change their login group. My predecessor wrote a utility "chdgrp" to change default/login groups. It removes the username from the new default group while deleting it from the old one. It solves this problem while allowing users to directly change their own login group on our BSD systems. Charles