topic Re: Useradd for creating system user in Operating System - HP-UX

Useradd for creating system user

kumar_chandel — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 10:42:26 GMT

I'm trying to create a user with root privileges. I'm trying to assign "/" as the home directory for the duplicate root user roota. Already the existing root user also has "/" as the home directoy.Is it possible to assign "/" as home directory for two users with same uid?

Please let me know whether the below command works or not:

useradd -ou 0 -g 0 -s /bin/ksh -d / roota

Re: Useradd for creating system user

Hiren N Dave — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 10:55:55 GMT

Yes, it will surely work.

Re: Useradd for creating system user

rariasn — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 11:01:20 GMT

Hi:

Better to share the root password...

rgs,

Re: useradd for creating system user

Dennis Handly — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 11:07:43 GMT

If you are doing something as dangerous having two root users, you might as well use vipw(1m), especially if using the same home directory.

That way you use vipw(1m) to remove that user.

Re: Useradd for creating system user

James R. Ferguson — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 13:09:38 GMT

@kumar_chandel wrote:
I'm trying to create a user with root privileges.

Why? As noted, using 'vipw' to replicate the root account as a renamed one is the easiest way.

*However* this is a very bad idea. You should be using SUDO or RBAC to confer the privileges you apparently need to someone or something. There are other ways, too, that are far less hazdardous then what you are trying to do.

Audits and auditors aside, what happens one day when you or your sucessor, or even a colleage, decides to delete the account, named "kumar"? Think what happens if I would do something like:

# find / -type f -user kumar -exec rm {} +

If my point isn't clear, would you do this?

# find / -type f -user 0 -exec rm {} +

Do you like rebuilding systems?

Regards!

...JRF...