luganofer opened a new issue, #13975:
URL: https://github.com/apache/cloudstack/issues/13975
### Component
UI
### Affected Version
all versions
### Severity
Moderate – causes operational confusion, resource misallocation, and
unnecessary support tickets
---
### Description
The current "Add Account" form in the CloudStack UI is a major source of
confusion, especially for administrators who are not deeply familiar with
CloudStack's account‑user model. The term "Account" is often misinterpreted as
a user profile, leading to the unintended creation of separate accounts in the
same domain when the actual goal is simply to add a new user to an existing
account.
This confusion has real operational consequences, particularly in
multi‑tenant environments.
---
### Real‑World Scenario
In our onboarding flow for a new tenant:
1. We create a **parent domain** where all contracted resources are
allocated.
2. Inside that domain, we create a **single account** of type `domain admin`
with **one initial user** (the primary administrator for that tenant).
This is a standard and correct setup.
However, when the tenant later needs to add a **second user** (e.g., a
regular operator) to the **same account**, the administrator goes to the UI and
clicks the visible **"Add Account"** button – because that is the only obvious
action presented.
They naturally assume they are adding a new user to the current account.
In reality, they are creating a **brand new, separate account** with its own
resource limits, quotas, and isolated resource pool.
---
### Consequences of This Confusion
#### 1. Incorrect Resource Limits
The newly created account uses default limits, which almost never match the
contracted quota for the tenant. When the new user logs in, they see a
different set of available resources than expected, leading to confusion and
support escalations.
#### 2. Unintended Resource Isolation
All resources (VMs, volumes, snapshots, networks) deployed by the new user
belong to the **new account**, not the tenant's primary account. Users within
the same tenant are therefore unable to share or even see each other's
resources – which violates the expected multi‑user, shared‑resource model
within a single account.
---
### Proposed Solution
The UI should clearly distinguish between **creating a new tenant account**
and **adding a user to an existing account**.
#### 1. Rename / Relabel the Current Button
- Change the **"Add Account"** button label to something explicit, such as:
**"New Tenant Account"**
- This signals that the action creates a separate billing/resource entity.
#### 2. Add a Dedicated "Add User" Action
- Inside the account details view, add a clearly visible button labeled:
**"Add User to this Account"**
- This action would open a simplified form that only asks for:
- Username
- Password
- Confirm password
- Email
- First name
- Last name
- Timezone
- The new user would inherit the account's existing role and resource limits.
#### 3. Add a Prominent Warning in the Current Form
Display a clear warning message at the top of the "Add Account" form, e.g.:
> ⚠️ **Warning:** Creating a new account creates a separate tenant with its
own resource limits and isolated resources. Users in different accounts cannot
share VMs or volumes. Networks can be shared between accounts when the
appropriate permissions are granted. To add a new user to an existing account,
please use the **"Add User"** option available from the account detail view.
---
### Expected vs. Actual Behavior
| **Expected** | **Actual** |
|---------------|------------|
| A clear, separate workflow for creating a new tenant vs. adding a user to
an existing tenant. | Only one unified "Add Account" interface exists, which
heavily suggests account creation even when the intent is user addition. |
| Users within the same account share resources by default. | Unintended
multiple accounts cause resource fragmentation and isolation. |
---
### Related Community Discussions
This confusion has been noted before in the community:
- [Issue #4227](https://github.com/apache/cloudstack/issues/4227) – touches
on account/user ambiguity.
- [Discussion
#10380](https://github.com/apache/cloudstack/discussions/10380) – user
confusion around account vs. user creation.
The underlying model is clear: an **account** owns resources and defines the
role; a **user** is simply a credential to access that account. The UI should
reflect this more intuitively.
---
### Additional Context
This is not a bug in the backend logic – the system behaves correctly. The
problem is purely a **UX/UI design issue** that leads to preventable
misconfigurations. Improving the interface would:
- Reduce support overhead.
- Lower the learning curve for new CloudStack administrators.
- Prevent accidental multi‑account sprawl in production environments.
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