Authorize and SYSUAF.DAT

[nipun_2]

My status (OpenVMS experience less than a week).
For the following query I have utilized
System Managers Manual and Utitlities Manual at HP website

The system is OpenVMS alpha V 7.3-1

I was able to setup new account using Command procedure
$ @SYS$EXAMPLES:ADDUSER.COM

I was planning to use AUTHORIZE
however when I entered
$ RUN SYS$SYSTEM:AUTHORIZE

The following was the output
%UAF-E-NAOFIL, unable to open SYSUAF.DAT
-RMS-E-FNF file not found
Do you want to create a new file?

As per the Utilities Reference Mannual when I say YES a new SYSUAF.DAT file will be created containing SYSTEM record andn a DEFAULT record.

My question is do I need to create SYSUAF.DAT?
If I do so what will happen to the accounts that are already present?

My idea is to Use AUTHORIZE utility for editing user accounts as required and monitoring them. If there is a better way of doing all that please let me know (If possible with the commands and/or reference)

If I am vague please let me know what further information you would require and the command procedure for that.

Thanks in advance

[David B Sneddon · Accepted solution]

Welcome to OpenVMS!

You have the following options:

1. Get into the directory where SYSUAF.DAT lives.
$ SET DEFAULT SYS$SYSTEM
$ MCR AUTHORIZE (this is the same as your RUN command)

2. Define SYSUAF as a logical, during startup, to
point to where SYSUAF.DAT resides.
The file usually used is SYS$MANAGER:SYLOGICALS.COM
and the file SYS$MANAGER:SYLOGICALS.TEMPLATE contains
the instructions for doing this.

Regards
Dave

[David B Sneddon]

Forgot to add...

Find the SYSUAF.DAT you created by answering YES and remove it.

Dave

[Mobeen_1]

Nipun,
Welcome to OpenVMS World !!
I am sure this will be a great forum for you to seek help !!


$ RUN SYS$SYSTEM:AUTHORIZE
The following was the output
%UAF-E-NAOFIL, unable to open SYSUAF.DAT
-RMS-E-FNF file not found
Do you want to create a new file?

You are seeing the above mentioned message because at the current location there is no SYSUAF.DAT file, hence its asking if a new file could be created.
I would suggest that you do the following
1. $SET DEF SYS$SYSTEM:
2. $MC AUTHORIZE
or
$RUN SYS$SYSTEM:AUTHORIZE
Once you do the above you will be in a prompt as shown below

UAF>

Now if you would like to for example modify an account called ACC1, you can do the foll

UAF>modify ACC1/pass=xxxxx
UAF>exit
$

I would suggest that while you are in UAF> type help and look up some commands

regards
Mobeen

[Ian Miller.]

nipun,
Welcome to the itrc vms forum. VMS is a large and richly featured operating system and the greatest operating system in the world (some say I'm slightly biased about this, even a bit of a fanatic :-).

You will certainly get help to specific queries here and over at openvms.org where you posted some other questions.

However you should get some training and do some reading. See
http://www.openvms.org/pages.php?page=Beginner
For training note that hpug uk membership will get you a discount on training courses. There are also many fine consultants who will provide training also.

[Chris Davis_9]

Nipun,

Welcome to VMS!

To reiterate what other replies have said:

The message you saw shows that there is no file called SYSUAF.DAT in your current location. Your "current location" is known in VMS as your default directory. The command "SET DEF..." is short for SET DEFAULT and changes your current location to the specified directory.

In the command SET DEF SYS$SYSTEM, the "SYS$SYSTEM" bit is a logical name which points to a directory on your System Disk. This is both where the AUTHORIZE.EXE program is found and where the SYSUAF.DAT file is created by default.

VMS is a very rich and powerful operating system and it can be very easy to cause problems by, particularly when working with user accounts.

I would strongly recommend some training (although, with over 20 years of VMS, I've never received any...). You don't mention your role in your organisation, or whether you have additional support in your area. Our organisation has set procedures for creation of user accounts using set template accounts.

Also the management of user accounts is one of the most critical areas of company security. However, with suitable procedures in place VMS is one of the most secure operating systems around.

Good luck!

[Robert Gezelter]

Nipun,

An alternative is to use a logical name to point to the current SYSUAF file.

If you (manually, or in the file LOGIN.COM in your home directory) execute the following line:

$ ASSIGN/JOB SYS$SYSTEM:SYSUAF.DAT SYSUAF

Then AUTHORIZE will be able to find the file without your default directory being SYS$SYSTEM. A note of caution (which my colleagues are sure to point out -- smile). There are provisions in OpenVMS for the use of an Alternate UAF file (controlled by the SYSGEN parameter UAFALT) which would require a small adjustmemt to the above.

In the interests of brevity, and to keep it simple, I have ommitted the alternate case. In that event, a slightly different version of the above code would be appropriate (see the HELP within SYSGEN, HELP PARAMETER UAFALT) for details of how the alternate UAF mechanism works.

I hope that the above is helpful (and not confusing for a novice).

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

[Jan van den Ende]

Bob (and Nipun)

Never mind UAFALT. Whenever that is used, it should be an emergency very-short-term lock-out escape solution.

What _DOES_ potentially (and definitely on multi-site environments) influence the location of the _ACTIVE_ SYSUAF.DAT file is the systemwide/executive mode logical name SYSUAF.

There exists an elegant solution for that:

$ DEFINE SYSUAF 'F$PARSE("SYSUAF","SYS$SYSTEM:DAT")

Nipun, F$PARSE works as follows:
Use the first param, and try to evaluate it as a file. If the logical name SYSUAF has been defined, evaluation succeeds, and F$PARSE returns the filespecification.
If the evaluation fails, _then_ use the second parameter filespec, but, any filespec field that is not supplied, take that from the first param. In this case, the second param lacks the fileNAME part, so the full string to be evaluated becomes "SYS$SYSTEM:SYSUAF.DAT

The total result of the command now becomes:
_IF_ the logical SYSUAF is defined, _then_ define (for the current process) SYSUAF to have the same translation as the existing logical;
_IF_ it is _NOT_ defined, _THEN define it to mean "SYS$SYSTEM:SYSUAF.DAT"

Having this command in the LOGIN.COM of those users who are allowed to use AUTHORIZE can (and WILL!!) save a lot of confusion.

-- on the further workings of F$PARSE:
$ HELP lexical F$parse

(it is not the most easy lexical, but a quite powerfull tool).

Hope this helps,

Proost.

Have one on me.

Jan

[Robert Gezelter]

Jan,

Agreed with the comment about the cluster (often do it myself).

I will admit that I deliberately left off that situation for this particular case to keep things simple. In particular, I wanted to hold off of the introduction of DCL lexicals (which I, as you know, am a strong advocate and have often spoken on their use).

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

[Mobeen_1]

Nipun,
I bet you are now probably getting lost with various ways of dealing with the situation :)

Not to worry the folks here especially the ones you find in OpenVMS forum area are very helpful and at the same time very knowledgable and they will defintely help you every time you need help... :)

Once again welcome to the world of OpenVMS !

As Jan always says ..

Have one on me :)

rgds
Mobeen

[Rob Young_4]

Also, don't forget about this great
resource:

groups.google.com

You can do advanced search and limit
your search to comp.os.vms

Topics such as yours have been rehashed
hundreds of times over the years and google
does "bubble up" the best responses.

Rob

[Antoniov.]

Nipun,
I'm with other people.
Welcome to vms forum!

Antonio Vigliotti