Adding new users to the Applied Optics Linux/Unix system

This is a reminder for Steve/Roger/Matt. It's the way I (Steve) do it, it seems to work for me.

Range	Type
17000-18000	People with existing UIDs on the EEE (James') UNIX system
24000-24099	Special local "system users" (scan, share, etc)
24100-24899	Regular users
24900-24999	Undergrads / MSc / external to EEE (can be temporary)

- Add a line for the new user, in UID order.
- The second number is their default group. This can either be the same as their UID (more secure for them), or it may be more useful to set it to the scan UID (24001) if they're going to be creating a lot of files/directories that others may need to access.
Edit /etc/group
- Add a group under their name with the GID the same as the UID
- Add their username to (at the very least) the share group, and (if appropriate) the scan group.
Edit /etc/shadow
- Add a line for the new user. In the password hash field (after the first ":") just put a "!"
Edit /etc/auto.home
- Add a line for the new user. This will determine where their home directory is to be stored (armchair, bed or optik, and if on bed, which hard disk)
cd /var/yp
/etc/init.d/SuSEfirewall2_setup stop
make
/etc/init.d/SuSEfirewall2_setup start
passwd <username> (get them to type their password)
Log onto the machine where their home directory is going to go
Go to the appropriate directory
mkdir <username>
chown <username>: <username>
exit (so you're no longer root) - you're done.

Example

A new member of Applied Optics wants a log-in. Their name is Hoang Zhu. They will be working over in the SiOS lab
You have searched /etc/passwd on armchair and found that there is already someone else in the group with a surname Zhu, but there is no-one else with initials hz.
You decide to give them the username hz.
They will be doing a lot of work on a shared experiment, and are likely to be saving data a lot in /home/scan/ which will be used by others. You decide to give them the default group of scan.
You find the next available UID in the range 24100-24899: 24127.
You add the following line to armchair:/etc/passwd (in UID order):
- hz:x:24127:24001:Hoang Zhu:/home/hz:/bin/bash
You add the following line to armchair:/etc/group (in GID order):
- hz:!:24127:
- You add hz to the end of the list of users in the scan and share groups
You add the following line to armchair:/etc/shadow:
- hz:!:14130:0:99999:7:::
You add the following line to armchair:/etc/auto.home (in alphabetical order):
- hz bed:/optics/heavy:&
cd /var/yp
/etc/init.d/SuSEfirewall2_setup stop
make
/etc/init.d/SuSEfirewall2_setup start
passwd hz (you get them to type their password)
You log onto bed and become root.
cd /optics/heavy
mkdir hz
chown hz: hz
exit (so you're no longer root) - you're done.