source: postlfs/config/skel.xml@ 8bb9b01e

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<!DOCTYPE sect1 PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.5//EN"
   "http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.5/docbookx.dtd" [
  <!ENTITY % general-entities SYSTEM "../../general.ent">
  %general-entities;
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<sect1 id="postlfs-config-skel" xreflabel="Configuring for Adding Users">
  <?dbhtml filename="skel.html"?>

  <sect1info>
    <othername>$LastChangedBy$</othername>
    <date>$Date$</date>
  </sect1info>

  <title>Configuring for Adding Users</title>

  <indexterm zone="postlfs-config-skel">
    <primary sortas="e-etc-skel">/etc/skel/*</primary>
  </indexterm>

  <indexterm zone="postlfs-config-skel">
    <primary sortas="e-etc-default-useradd">/etc/default/useradd</primary>
  </indexterm>

  <para>Together, the <command>/usr/sbin/useradd</command> command and
  <filename class="directory">/etc/skel</filename> directory (both are easy to
  set up and use) provide a way to assure new users are added to your LFS
  system with the same beginning settings for things such as the
  <envar>PATH</envar>, keyboard processing and other environmental variables.
  Using these two facilities makes it easier to assure this initial state for
  each new user added to the system.</para>

  <para>The <filename class="directory">/etc/skel</filename> directory holds
  copies of various initialization and other files that may be copied to the
  new user's home directory when the <command>/usr/sbin/useradd</command>
  program adds the new user.</para>

<bridgehead renderas="sect5">Useradd</bridgehead>

  <para>The <command>useradd</command> program uses a collection of
  default values kept in <filename>/etc/default/useradd</filename>,
  if it exists.  If this file does not exist, then it uses some internal
  defaults.  You can see the default values by running
  <command>/usr/sbin/useradd -D</command>.</para>

  <para>To change these values to something new, create a base
  <filename>/etc/default/useradd</filename> file as the
  <systemitem class='username'>root</systemitem> user with the same values as
  the output of <command>/usr/sbin/useradd -D</command>. Here is a
  sample:</para>

<screen><literal># Begin /etc/default/useradd

GROUP=100
HOME=/home
INACTIVE=-1
EXPIRE=
SHELL=
SKEL=/etc/skel

# End /etc/default/useradd</literal></screen>

  <para>The only thing missing from the file is a default shell.  Add that
  by running the following command as the
  <systemitem class='username'>root</systemitem> user:</para>

<screen role="root"><userinput>/usr/sbin/useradd -D -s/bin/bash</userinput></screen>

  <para>This will set the <envar>SHELL</envar>= line to
  <envar>SHELL</envar>=/bin/bash.</para>

  <para><command>useradd</command> has many parameters that
  can be set in the <filename>/etc/default/useradd</filename> file. For more
  information see <command>man useradd</command>.</para>

  <bridgehead renderas="sect5">/etc/skel</bridgehead>

  <para>To get started, create an
  <filename class="directory">/etc/skel</filename> directory and make sure it
  is writable only by the system administrator, usually
  <systemitem class="username">root</systemitem>. Creating the directory as
  <systemitem class="username">root</systemitem> is the best way to go.</para>

  <para>The mode of any files from this part of the book that you put in
  <filename class="directory">/etc/skel</filename> should be writable only by
  the owner. Also, since there is no telling what kind of sensitive information
  a user may eventually place in their copy of these files, you should
  make them unreadable by "group" and "other".</para>

  <para>You can also put other files in
  <filename class="directory">/etc/skel</filename> and
  different permissions may be needed for them.</para>

  <para>Decide which initialization files should be provided in every (or most)
  new user's home directory. The decisions you make will affect what you
  do in the next two sections, <xref linkend="postlfs-config-profile"/> and
  <xref linkend="postlfs-config-vimrc"/>. Some or all of those files will be
  useful for <systemitem class="username">root</systemitem>, any
  already-existing users, and new users.</para>

  <para>The files from those sections that you might want to place in
  <filename class="directory">/etc/skel</filename> include
  <filename>.inputrc</filename>, <filename>.bash_profile</filename>,
  <filename>.bashrc</filename>, <filename>.bash_logout</filename>,
  <filename>.dircolors</filename>, and <filename>.vimrc</filename>. If
  you are unsure which of these should be placed there, just continue to
  the following sections, read each section and any references provided,
  and then make your decision.</para>

  <para>You will run a slightly modified set of commands for files which
  are placed in <filename class="directory">/etc/skel</filename>. Each section
  will remind you of this. In brief, the book's commands have been written for
  files <emphasis>not</emphasis> added to
  <filename class="directory">/etc/skel</filename> and instead just sends the
  results to the user's home directory. If the file is going to be in
  <filename class="directory">/etc/skel</filename>, change the book's command(s)
  to send output there instead and then just copy the file from
  <filename class="directory">/etc/skel</filename> to the appropriate
  directories, like <filename class="directory">/etc</filename>,
  <filename class="directory">~</filename> or the home directory
  of any other user already in the system.</para>

  <bridgehead renderas="sect5">When Adding a User</bridgehead>

  <para>When adding a new user with <command>useradd</command>, use
  the <option>-m</option> parameter, which tells
  <command>useradd</command> to create the user's home directory and
  copy files from <filename class="directory">/etc/skel</filename> (can be
  overridden) to the new user's home directory.  For example (perform as the
  <systemitem class="username">root</systemitem> user):</para>

<screen role="root"><userinput>useradd -m <replaceable>&lt;newuser&gt;</replaceable></userinput></screen>

</sect1>