Special Edition Using Linux®, Sixth Edition

Account Setup

Adding and deleting users is simple, but understanding the files involved with user account management is a bit more complex. Many utilities have been written to manage the data files associated with user accounts, including the default useradd utility, but the key to managing user accounts is to understand the underlying configuration files.

Key Configuration File

The key file used in user account setup and configuration is the /etc/passwd file. This file is a simple ASCII text file, but it's crucial to the multiuser concept of Linux. Upon a successful installation, the contents of the /etc/passwd file resemble the following:

 root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash bin:x:1:1:bin:/bin: daemon:x:2:2:daemon:/sbin: adm:x:3:4:adm:/var/adm: ...