hp-ux queries

[aruns_s]

Hi,
need ur help with following queries.
1. If a user ID is locked - can crontab jobs still run for that user ?

2.When setting up password ageing is it safe to set up password ageing for users that never actually sign onto the server ? e.g users like bin, daemon, sys, adm or should these users be excluded from password ageing ? Im just wondering what is typically done for these users in regards to password ageing.

[TTr · Accepted solution]

1. You should be able to test this easily.

2. You do not touch the special UNIX accounts such as the bin, daemon, sys etc. Putting aging in these accounts is asking for trouble.

You may have other special accounts that you created and they are not human account but rather perform a batch function, these you should exclude from aging as well.

[Bill Hassell]

1. Yes, batch, at and cron will still run because a disabled account refers to login -- which cron, batch and at do not (login).

2. The administrative accounts cannot login as they are already disable/deactivated. There is no password, so ageing is meaningless.

If these are auditor questions, a good Unix course will help the auditor understand user IDs. The login program is a simple interface to start a shell or program. The word 'account' ascribes more than is really there. Outside of login and a shell (or menu program or other dedicated script/program), the user ID is just a name aliased to a UID number. Password ageing is only useful to the login program.

[Jeeshan]

Hi arun

1. You need to clear about the terms, disable, locked,blocked. If user is disable, it won't run.

2. To run the daemon/services unix/linux OS's use some special users like u mentioned. This is need because of root only don't run those service/daemon's.