topic Re: Combining SYSUAF files in Operating System - OpenVMS

Combining SYSUAF files

Tony Marron — Wed, 17 May 2006 08:08:18 GMT

We are in the process of migration to a new Alphaserver and have set up all of the required supporting products on the new system - TCP etc. Entries now exist in the SYSUAF for all of these products. I now want to copy my old UAF file to the new system but do not want to overwite the new file. Any suggestions on merging these files?

Re: Combining SYSUAF files

Hein van den Heuvel — Wed, 17 May 2006 08:17:39 GMT

Just do a multy-file convert with exception file. Roughly:

$convert/stat/excep=dups/sort uaf,old new

Remember to also do rightslist and vmsmail$profile, maybe even password_history.

Take the opportunity to optimze uaf & rightslist.
All to often they are neglected for decades!

The system documentation has details on converting and optimizing sysuaf

hth,
Hein.

Re: Combining SYSUAF files

Uwe Zessin — Wed, 17 May 2006 08:19:41 GMT

In the past, I simply used a text editor to extract the records I needed from one file and used CONVERT to merge the (indexed) SYSUAF with the (sequential) file containing the extracted records.

There might also be records in more files like RIGHTSLIST.DAT, NET($)PROXY.DAT. RIGHTSLIST is more of a challenge, because it is permanently kept open, but there are ways to work around it.

Re: Combining SYSUAF files

Ian Miller. — Wed, 17 May 2006 08:58:40 GMT

SYSUAF is a index file and you can use merge as described.
See
http://h71000.www7.hp.com/doc/731FINAL/4477/4477pro_023.html#build_uaf_upgrade

Re: Combining SYSUAF files

Uwe Zessin — Wed, 17 May 2006 09:38:21 GMT

I know, but I did not want to do a blind merge, but ONLY copy a subset of users.

Re: Combining SYSUAF files

Ian Miller. — Wed, 17 May 2006 10:09:54 GMT

I have previously written DCL to open the two SYSUAF files and copy selected records from one to the other. This works when wanting to just copy a few.

Re: Combining SYSUAF files

Uwe Zessin — Wed, 17 May 2006 10:14:49 GMT

Ah, interesting. A german proverb says: there is more than one way to Rome ;-)

But DCL is still useful :-)
I've used it to feed a sequential file of RIGHTSLIST records into an active RIGHTSLIST.DAT.

Re: Combining SYSUAF files

Jan van den Ende — Wed, 17 May 2006 10:48:43 GMT

Tony,

the REAL challenge is in also merging RIGHTSLIST.DAT, especially if
a. duplicate usernames do NOT have identical UICs, and/or
b. numeric identifiers are created the DEFAULT way, ie, WITHOUT specifying the /VALU= --- sure to generate conflicting values if done multiple times.

If so, it might be better to NOT merge the RIGHTLIST.DATs, but, after merging the SYSUAFs, do a
$ MCR AUTHORIZE add/ident/user=*

This scans the SYSUAF for usernames and adds the corresponding identifier values.

Then add numeric identifiers by
$ MRC ADD/IDENT /VALU=IN= see authorize HELP for allowed values.

If you already have a lot of identifiers in your existing RIGHTSLIST, you can start this procedure also with that one.

Oh yeah,

...and have set up all of the required supporting products on the new system - TCP etc.

You might wish to start be verifying that you dd not already introduce conflicting values. Repairing NOW is a lot easier than later on!

hth

Proost.

Have one on me (maybe at the Bootcamp in Nashua?)

jpe

Re: Combining SYSUAF files

Jan van den Ende — Wed, 17 May 2006 10:50:53 GMT

Tony,

sorry, I should have started with

WELCOME to the VMS Forum!

Proost.

Have one on me (maybe at the Bootcamp in Nashua?)

jpe

Re: Combining SYSUAF files

Tony Marron — Wed, 17 May 2006 12:10:09 GMT

Thanks for all the responses - It sounds a little tricky so I'll give it a try on a test file first.

Re: Combining SYSUAF files

Tony Marron — Wed, 17 May 2006 12:11:05 GMT

Thanks for all the responses - It sounds a little tricky so I'll give it a try on a test file first.

Re: Combining SYSUAF files

Robert Gezelter — Wed, 17 May 2006 17:21:58 GMT

Tony,

Another possibility is that all of the relevant information in the duplicated entries in both UAFs may be identical.

For example, if you have installed the same layered products in two systems, then the automatically generated accounts may have the same UIC values.

In effect, you may need to do nothing more than copy the old SYSUAF onto the new system. Alternatively, some relatively small discrete modifications may be necessary.

- Bob Gezelter, http://www.rlgsc.com

Re: Combining SYSUAF files

Tony Marron — Thu, 18 May 2006 04:18:49 GMT

Thanks to everyone for the advise - I think I have it sorted now.

Glad I joined this forum !-)