LINUX USERS AND
GROUPS
MANAGEMENT
INTRODUCTION
Linux is a multi-user operating system, which means that more
than one user can use Linux at the same time. Linux provides a
beautiful mechanism to manage users in a system. One of the most
important roles of a system administrator is to manage the users and
groups in a system..
How Linux User Accounts Work
• A user or account of a system is uniquely identified by a numerical
number called the UID (unique identification number). There are two
types of users – the root or super user and normal users. A root or
super user can access all the files, while the normal user has limited
access to files. A super user can add, delete and modify a user
account. The full account information is stored in the /etc/passwd file
and a hash password is stored in the file /etc/shadow.
Creating and Managing User Accounts
• Creating a user with a default setting: A user can be added by running
the useradd command at the command prompt. After creating the user, set a
password using the
passwd utility, as follows:
• Syntax:
[root@localhost bhargab]# useradd anirban
[root@localhost bhargab]# passwd anirban
Changing password for user anirban.
New password:
Retype new password:
passwd: all authentication tokens updated successfully.
• Specifying a user’s full name when creating a user: A systems
administrator can use the –c option with useradd to specify the user’s
full name, as shown below:
• Syntax:
[root@localhost bhargab]# useradd -c “Anirban Choudhury” anirban
• Creating a user with the UID: You can create a user with a custom UID
with the –u option, as follows:
• Syntax:
[root@localhost bhargab]# useradd -u 1036 anirban
• Creating a user with non-default home directory: A non-default
home directory can be set by executing the following command:
• Syntax:
[root@localhost bhargab]# useradd –d /home/test anirban
• Adding a user to a primary group and supplementary group: A
systems administrator can specify a primary group and a
supplementary one by specifying the –g and –G option, respectively.
• Syntax:
[root@localhost bhargab]# useradd -g “head” -G “faculty” anirban
• Locking and unlocking a user: A super user can lock and unlock a user
account. To lock an account, one needs to invokepasswd with the -l option.
[root@localhost bhargab]# passwd -l anirban
Locking password for user anirban.
passwd: Success
• The –u option with passwd unlock an account, as
shown below:
[root@localhost bhargab]# passwd -u anirban
Unlocking password for user anirban.
passwd: Success
• Changing a user name: The –l option with the usermodcommand changes the
login (user) name, as shown below:
• Syntax:
[root@localhost bhargab]# usermod -l “nishant” anirban
• Removing a user: Combining userdel with the –r option drop a user and the
home directory associated with that user, as shown below:
• Syntax:
[root@localhost bhargab]# userdel -r nishant
How Linux Group Accounts Work
• Linux group is a mechanism to organise a collection of users. Like the
user ID, each group is also associated with a unique ID called the GID
(group ID). There are two types of groups – a primary group and a
supplementary group. Each user is a member of a primary group and
of zero or ‘more than zero’ supplementary groups. The group
information is stored in/etc/group and the respective passwords are
stored in the/etc/gshadow file.
Creating and Managing Group Accounts
• Creating a group with default settings: To add a new group with default
settings, run the groupadd command as a root user, as shown below:
[root@localhost bhargab]# groupadd employee
• If you wish to add a password, then type gpasswd with the group name, as
follow:
[root@localhost bhargab]# gpasswd employee
Changing the password for group employee
New Password:
Re-enter new password:
• Creating a group with a specified GID: To explicitly specify the GID of
a group, execute the groupadd command with the –goption, as
follow:
[root@localhost bhargab]# groupadd -g 1200 manager
• Removing group password: To remove a group password,
rungpasswd –r with the relevant group name, as follow:
[root@localhost bhargab]# gpasswd -r employee
• Changing the group’s name: To change the group’s name, run
the groupmod command with the -n option as a super user, as shown
below:
[root@localhost bhargab]# groupmod -n hrmanager employee
• Changing the group’s GID: To change the GID of a group, run
the groupmod command with –g, as follow:
[root@localhost bhargab]# groupmod -g 1050 manager
• Deleting a group: Before deleting a primary group, delete the users of
that primary group. To delete a group, run the groupdelcommand
with the group name, as shown below:
[root@localhost bhargab]# groupdel employee
Recap
• You can use both GUI or Terminal for User Administration
• You can create, disable and delete user accounts.
Command Description
sudo adduser <username> Adds a user
sudo passwd -l ‘username’ Disable a user
sudo uesrdel -r ‘username’ Delete user
sudo usermod -a –G GROUPNAME Add User to a Usergroup
USERNAME
sudo deluser user GROUPNAME Remove user from a usergroup
