Adding and managing users and groups

Beyond the Basics

Article from Issue 183/2016
Author(s):

The command line provides all the necessary tools for creating and maintaining multiple accounts. By understanding these commands, you can more effectively manage your system.

If you have ever done any system administration, chances are you have added an account or a group. However, both tasks offer possibilities beyond the plain command. Not only do numerous options exist to modify the basic command, but a variety of other commands are available for manipulating users and groups and viewing their activities.

Users and groups are means of controlling access to a Linux system. A user account gives normal access to a system, whereas user membership in a group gives access to different hardware, subsystems, and files. Typically, each user account is matched with a group of the same name, so that users can access the files in their home directory. In some distributions, only the ordinary user created during installation has full non-root access, and you might have to add new users to each group to which the first user belongs.

Adding and Deleting

In Debian-based distributions, the easiest way to create a new user is with adduser, a script that leads you through the process. After you enter the command adduser NAME, you are prompted for a name, a password, and optional contact information that in effect turns a list of users into a contact list. Other information, such as the user ID (UID), is created for you, starting with 1000 (Figure 1). Non-Debian distributions also include adduser, but in most cases it is an alias for useradd.

[...]

Use Express-Checkout link below to read the full article (PDF).

Buy this article as PDF

Download Article PDF now with Express Checkout
Price $2.95
(incl. VAT)

Buy Linux Magazine

SINGLE ISSUES
Print Issues
Digital Issues
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Print Subscriptions
Digital Subscriptions

Related content

  • The sys admin's daily grind: Users and groups

    This time Charly investigates the three most frequently asked questions about user groups.

    more »
  • Command Line: User Accounts

    Linux is a multiuser system: many users can work at the same machine at the same time on separate accounts. In this month’s column, we take a close look at how to create and manage Linux user accounts from the command line.

    more »
  • Admin Workshop: User Management

    The steps for setting up new accounts in Linux are automated and often use GUI-based tools. Under the hood, a number of mechanisms give the new user an environment to match his or her needs. In this month’s Admin Workshop we discuss techniques for setting up accounts.

    more »
  • Command Line: Sudo and Passwords

    Sudo provides the building blocks to secure your system exactly the way you want it.

    more »
  • Command Line: Logging Tools

    Many logging and user-related commands can help you check on your system and keep track of security matters. We guide you through several helpful tools.

    more »
comments powered by Disqus
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters

Digital Autonomy

• How the Fediverse Found Parts for Its Platforms
• The Answer Was Already on the Shelf
• Changing the Chip Industry: How Public Investment Has Grown Open Silicon
• United Nations Open Source Portal Goes Live
• EU Open Source Strategy Plays Key Role in Tech Sovereignty Package
• France Says “Au Revoir” to Microsoft

Support Our Work

Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

Learn More

News

Tag Cloud

Administration Community Desktop Events Hardware Linux Mobile Programming Security Software Ubuntu Web Development Windows free software open source