[comp.sys.sgi] Adding users under Sys. Manager

rnelson@yoda.eecs.wsu.edu (Roger Nelson - Grad Student) (06/12/91)

We have always had problems adding users under the System Manager.
It always provides a user ID number that already belongs to someone
else.  If the number isn't checked, the existing user's files all
become owned by the new user.  Is this a bug, or do we have something
set-up incorrectly?

We have had this same problem under 3.2, 3.3.0, 3.3.1, and 3.3.2.
The fellow on our other machine added a new user without checking
and it changed ownership of almost all the files on the second disk
(It was our IDEAS account that was changed)  Needless to say, it
is taking us hours to fix.

fsfacca@AVELON.LERC.NASA.GOV (Tony Facca) (06/12/91)

> 
> We have always had problems adding users under the System Manager.
> It always provides a user ID number that already belongs to someone
> else.  If the number isn't checked, the existing user's files all
> become owned by the new user.  Is this a bug, or do we have something
> set-up incorrectly?
> 

It's more of an annoyance than a bug.

If you ask for detailed information when adding a user, then you can supply
your own ID.  The SM has no way of determining what your scheme for assigning
userids is.  I haven't seen it assign the same ID as another user on the
system, though.  I know it will check to see if an ID you assign already
exists for a different user.

Other annoyances:
	
	- no support for group ID's
	- no way to set the default home directory once and for all
	- no way to add other startup dot files to the new directory
	- no way to customize the procedure to take advantage of local
	  conventions (source code would be nice, hooks to local scripts
	  would suffice)
	- because of all the other annoyances, the add user part of the
	  tool is pretty much useless.


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Tony Facca   |   fsfacca@avelon.lerc.nasa.gov      |     phone: 216-433-8318
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