Moving accounts from trusted system to another TS

[Rcky Mntere]

This is a question about the results of moving the accounts from one trusted system to another (tar all the appropriate user files under /tcb/files/auth/A-Z|a-z*).

MOST accounts were set up with the identical userID numbers, groups, etc. However, we have noticed about 50 (out of the 500+) that the u_id number in the tcb/files/auth/a-z/user_ID file is NOT the same as that in the /etc/passwd file.

What is the impact of having different u_id# numbers vs those in the /etc/passwd file?

Do we need to ensure the user numbers are identical?

[Johnson Punniyalingam]

>>>What is the impact of having different u_id# numbers vs those in the /etc/passwd file?<<<

It should be different. hence u_id# from /tcb/files/auth/A-Z|a-Z* -> which you are seeing is something like "encypyted"

number from /etc/passwd is the "uid" -> actual User ID

>>>Do we need to ensure the user numbers are identical?<<<

if you are refering to "u_id from /tcb & /etc/passwd

NO need.

backup & copy or file transfer /etc/passwd /etc/group files from "(e.g Server A) using ftp ,sftp to another system B
create tcb.tar file of /tcb directory from (e. Server A) and transfer and untar tcb.tar to another system B

HTH,
Johnson

[Patrick Wallek · Accepted solution]

>>It should be different.

No, it should NOT be different. The u_uid in the /tcb directory structure is the SAME uid that appears in /etc/passwd for a user.

>>hence u_id# from /tcb/files/auth/A-Z|a-Z* ->
>>which you are seeing is something like
>>"encypyted"

No, it's not. See comment above.

The only thing encrypted in each users file is the contents of the u_pwd field, which is the encrypted password.

>>Do we need to ensure the user numbers are identical?

Yes, I would. I don't know what kind of adverse affects having them mismatched would generate, but I don't think I would want to try it.

[Patrick Wallek]

More information:

From the prpwd (4) man page:
u_id - This is the user id for the account which must match the user id field of the corresponding /etc/passwd entry.


It does not mention the impact of them not matching, but why tempt fate.

[Johnson Punniyalingam]

Hi SB,Patrick Wallek,

Apologies, for my comment which I "mentioned" should not be same,

Hope It should be the same, spl. thks for "Patrick Wallek" for correcting me

Thx,
Johnson

[Rcky Mntere]

Thanks to all for providing the necessary clarification on the issue. I will go through the tcb auth files and synchronize the U_ID to that in the /etc/passwd file. Luckily there are just a few dozen out of the several 100's of user accounts that we migrated or added after the migration...

Appreciate the responses: THANK YOU.

SB