Each user on the network is represented by a user account.
A user account:
Identifies the user by Solaris login name (the user name) and
identification number (the UID)
Provides the user with a home directory (a portion of the file
system reserved for the user's private files)
Provides a password for the user to gain access to the system
Provides the user with a mailbox (a file on the mail server that
holds all newly received mail - the "inbox")
Includes each user in at least one group, the primary group for that user
When a user logs in to the Solaris Management Console, Solaris authenticates the user's identity, using the user name and password. Part of the authentication process is to determine which tools are available to the user for managing network resources: Users granted the right of Primary Administrator have complete access to all management applications; other administrators are limited to being able to manage resources through specific administrative applications; all users can view information, only specific users can change information. See Rights for Users and Roles.
Adding User Accounts
Starting from System Configuration in the left pane of the console, select Users and User Accounts. Then, click the Action menu for items related to adding users.
You can add new user accounts in several ways: individually, in multiples, starting from scratch, or starting from a template (which you must first create).
The Add User Wizard provides step-by-step screens to help add individual user accounts. The Add Multiple Users Wizard allows you to add multiple accounts in three different ways: a text file of names, with names you type in, or by automatic generation of user names.
To simplify creating user accounts, wizards request only a subset of user properties for each new user. To view or modify user properties, or to add ones that were not included with the wizard, in User Accounts double-click the user's name to open the User Properties dialog box.
User Templates
Templates help you add new user accounts by providing information new users have in common. Use the Add Template dialog box to create and store a set of standard information about a typical user. For example, you can create a template that contains many of the characteristics of a person who works in the accounting department. Then, use the template as your starting point when creating new user accounts for individuals in that department.
The Home Directory
When you add a user, User Accounts sets up the user's home directory by doing the following:
Creates the directory on the server you specify
Sets the file permissions, based on the user's primary
group
Copies over user initialization files (see next topic) from the /etc/skel
directory to the home directory
Updates the auto_home database if automounting the
home directory (which allows users to reach their home directory
automatically from a mount point usually named /home/username
when logging in to any Solaris machine)
User Initialization Files
Part of setting up a user's home directory is providing a "user
initialization file" whose primary purpose is to define the
user's work environment: search path, windowing environment,
environment variables, and so forth. The /etc/skel
directory contains default initialization files. You can use those
files as a starting point and modify them to provide a work
environment common to all users, or to provide different working
environments for different types of users.
The three initialization files in the /etc/skel
directory are:
local.login, used at every login
local.cshrc, for users with a C shell
local.profile, for a Bourne or Korn shell
When these files are copied to home directories, each is renamed:
local.login to .login
local.cshrc to .cshrc
local.profile to .profile
For additional information about user initialization files, see "Customizing a User's Work Environment" in the System Administration Guide: Basic Administration.
Reserved UID Numbers
User ID numbers 0 through 99 are reserved and cannot be used for regular user accounts.
By definition, root is always UID 0, daemon
is UID 1, and pseudo-user bin has UID 2.
In addition, UID 60001 is nobody, UID 60002 is noaccess,
and UID 65534 is nobody4.
Deleting User Accounts
When you attempt to delete user accounts, a Warning dialog box appears. It informs you that entries will be removed from the directory services databases and user names removed from groups. It also gives you the option of removing the home directory and the mailbox for each deleted user.
There are certain home directories that you cannot remove, even if a
user account with that directory is deleted. These are: /,
/etc, /usr, /home, /var,
/opt, /tmp, and /proc.
Home Directory Not Created - Error
When you are adding a user, User Accounts may be unable to contact the home directory server you specify. In that case, a message tells you the user was added but the home directory could not be created. See Home Directory Not Created in Troubleshooting.