Lab: Create a User Step-by-Step¶

In this lab you will create a user and their home directory step-by-step the way the adduser command does. You’ll create the following user:

Username: galadriel
Group: maiar
Home directory: /home/galadriel

Step 0: Install Python¶

The best way to generate a UNIX password from the command line is with Python. Install it with apt:

$ sudo apt install python-minimal

Step 1: Create a User¶

Users are added to both the /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow files. Add this line to /etc/passwd:

galadriel:x:2000:2000:Lady of Light:/home/galadriel:/bin/bash

The fields are:

galadriel: User name
x: Always x
2000: User ID
2000: Primary Group ID
Lady of Light: Full name
/etc/galadriel: Home directory
/bin/bash: Login shell

Step 2: Generate a Password¶

The shadow file contains the hash of the users’s password and a salt for the hash. Python’s crypt library can generate the hash and salt for us. Run this command to generate a hash for Cabri11o.

$ python3 -c 'import crypt; print(crypt.crypt("Cabri11o"))'

This will generate a random salt so every hash will be different. Here’s an example:

$6$PO8tqBryUU5aZA.r$Dy0ybcqFH6aHA/vQGixiKGzKoWX2Ryh5a1aGdRqYB9U0SWpZZyUSLyMDP0Q4BonjA1c7ywdO.wktOk13KFO3T1

The salt is made of fields separated by the dollar sign ($). The fields are:

$6: Encryption method (SHA-512)
$PO8tqBryUU5aZA.r: Salt (chosen at random)
$Dy0ybcqFH6aHA...: The hash

Copy the entire output of the command so you can paste it in the next step.

Step 3: Give the User a Password¶

Add this line to /etc/shadow:

galadriel:<your-hash-here>:1:0:99999:7:::

The fields are:

galadriel: User name.
<your-hash-here>: The hash (paste the hash here). Empty (::) allows login without a password. A star (*) disables the account.
1: Last password change. Days since Jan 1, 1970 that password was last changed. A zero forces a password change.
0: The minimum days between password changes.
99999: The maximum age of a password.
7: Password change warning days.
<empty>: The number of days after password expires that account is disabled.
<empty>: The number of days since January 1, 1970 that an account has been disabled
<empty>: A reserved field for possible future use

Step 4: Create a Group¶

Add the following lines to /etc/group

noldor:x:2000:
teleri:x:2001:galadriel

The fields are:

noldor: Group name.
x: Always x
2000: Group ID
Group members separated by commas

Step 5: Create a Home Directory¶

The directory /etc/skel has the skeleton of a home directory. That’s the bare minimum files a user gets started with. Make a copy with this command:

$ sudo cp -R /etc/skel /home/galadriel

The directory is owned by root. Use chown to fix it:

$ sudo chown -R galadriel:noldor /home/galadriel/

Step 6: Test Your Work¶

You should be able to use su to login as Galadriel. You’ll be prompted for the password:

$ su galadriel 
Password: 

Don’t use sudo to do this test!

See what groups Galadriel is in:

$ groups

Turn In¶

Turn in the following files on Canavas:

/etc/passwd
/etc/shadow
/etc/group