/etc/group /etc/logingroup

[jerry1]

What's the deal with group and logingroup?

In someones experience. Is it better to link
or not?

[Geoff Wild · Accepted solution]

Interesting - some of my servers have /etc/logingroup as a symbolic link to /etc/group - and others don't have it at all...


From man:

/etc/group exists to supply names for each group, and to support changing groups by means of the newgrp utility

/etc/logingroup provides a default group access list

Rgds...Geoff

[Patrick Wallek]

Yes, I like to link /etc/logingroup to /etc/group.

It makes for happier users since they can then belong to multiple groups and not have to change via the newgrp command.

'man logingroup' provides very good details of group and logingroup functions.

[Todd McDaniel_1]

Should be a HARD link....


root:/
# ls -lib /etc/logingroup /etc/group
76 -r--r--r-- 2 bin bin 921 May 13 12:00 /etc/group
76 -r--r--r-- 2 bin bin 921 May 13 12:00 /etc/logingroup

They must be in sync or you are going to have problems when modding group info.

[A. Clay Stephenson]

It's not even necessary that /etc/logingroup be present BUT if it is AND the files are linked then rather than having to do newgrp's or a setgid(), the system will automatically check for permissions in all the groups for membership when trying to open a file, for example.

Man logingroup for details.

[Dani Seely]

Hey Jerry,
If /etc/logingroup is empty or non-existent the default group access list is empty. If /etc/logingroup and /etc/group are links to the same file, the default access list includes the entire set of groups associated with the user.

There's a GREAT article at:
http://www.adager.com/VeSoft/HpUxSecurityConcerns.html

The article is titled: "HP-UX SPECIFIC SECURITY CONCERNS." Even if you are not worried about the security concerns of using /etc/logingroup, you should take a minute and read the information regarding the logingroup contained in this article.

Enjoy your read, hope this helps.

[V.Tamilvanan]

Hi,
The below info may help you. Instead of creating separate file You can create a link to /etc/logingroup from /etc/group.

HP-UX 10x
/etc/logingroup Nonexist

Effective GID is from /etc/passwd, no associated entries from /etc/group. User must use newgrp command to change GID to entry in /etc/group

/etc/logingroup exists

GID is from /etc/passwd, all entries for user in /etc/logingroup are associated groups.

HP-UX 11x
/etc/logingroup Nonexist

Effective GID is from /etc/passwd, associated entries are from /etc/group

/etc/logingroup exists

GID is from /etc/passwd, all entries for user in /etc/logingroup are associated groups.