Users/groups copying to another server..

[Avarsang Shankar]

Does anyone know how to copy all users/groups and their attributes from one system to another instead of copying one user at a time ? If I have to write a script, does anyone know which files need to be copied along with password info. The server is a trusted system.

[Patrick Wallek]

I have done this fairly successfully by copying the entire /tcb directory structure and the /etc/passwd and /etc/group files. YOu might want to be careful of system accounts like root, but I've never had any problem.

You may also want to copy /home, or where ever the users home directories are, over to the new machine as well.

[RAC_1]

The trusted system keep all data in /tcb directory. If all users on both systems same? You can move whole this directory to another server.

[Michael Schulte zur Sur]

Hi,

I agree with Patrick. I have another thread with the same solution, but I lost it. :-(

Michael

[Avarsang Shankar]

Thank you for all the responses. Is there any command to check the integrity/consistency check once I copy to another server? (like in AIX)

[Patrick Wallek]

There sure are:

To check the passwd file consistency:

# pwck

To check the passwd file and the /tcb structure:

# pwck -s
or
# authck -p

To check the group file consistency:

# grpck

[Steven E. Protter]

I edit a copy of /etc/passwd from the source server, null out the passwords and copy it as /root/newusers to the new one.

Then cat /root/newusers >> /etc/passwd

Same thing for any new groups.

Then check consistency as noted in prior answers.

SEP

[Scott J. Showalter]

Steven E Protter,

Why is it that you null out the passwords when copying the file to a new host?

[Juergen Tappe]

Here a poissible script doing your need user per user and checking each ... :
it should run on the destination server
I assume remsh between the 2 servers otherwise use ssh and scp:

REMHOST=
USERS=$(remsh $REMHOST pwget | awk '{print $1}')

for i in $USERS
do
if pwget -n $i > /dev/null 2/dev/null
then
true # dont add this one as it exists already
else
PWLINE=$(rmesh $REMHOST pwget -n $i)
echo $PWLINE >> /etc/passwd
GRP=$(echo "$PWLINE" | cut -d: -f4)
if grget -g $GRP > /dev/null 2> /dev/null
then
true # dont add it line to group file
else
GRPLINE=$(remsh $REMHOST grget -g $GRP)
echo $GRPLINE >> /etc/group
fi

FIRST_CHAR=$(echo $i | cut -c1)
rcp -p $REMHOST:/tcb/auth/file/$FIRST_CHAR/$i /tcb/aauth/file/$FIRST_CHAR/$i

# copy content of hoemdir if you like
HDIR=$(remsh $REMHOS pwget -n $i | cut -d: -f6)
if [ ! -d $HDIR ]
then
mkdir -p $HDIR
rcp -p $REMHOST:$HDIR $HDIR
fi
fi # end of if pwget ....
done

If I didnt made typos and didnt mixed up the fields of passwd file or tcb dirs it should run.
I am not 100% sure if the rcp realy keeps user/group of the files. In one of the directios they might get resetted to root.
Better you try that before running the whole script.

[Juergen Tappe]

Sorry, found one mistake
replace 2nd line with
USERS=$(remsh $REMHOST pwget | cut -d: -f1)

instead of copying the complete homedirectories you could copy over just .profile or other single files.

You might also include a chown $i:$GRP $HOME
after the mkdir ... line.

regards
Juergen