On Sun, 2025-08-24 at 22:49 +0100, Darac Marjal wrote:
> On 24/08/2025 22:34, David Christensen wrote:
>
> > On 8/24/25 13:14, Van Snyder wrote:
> >
> > > I keep my /home directory in a partition separate from root, not
> > > in a
> > > directory in root. This makes it easier to install a new OS.
> > >
> > > When I install Debian, it asks me for the name of a user.
> > >
> > > I never had the courage to put my own name and uname into that
> > > page,
> > > fearing it might damage my home directory.
> > >
> > > I create a "more" user, then log into that account, su to root,
> > > and add
> > > myself using the "Users" widget in KDE (I assume there's
> > > something
> > > similar in gnome), change my uid and gid in /etc/passwd* and
> > > /etc/group*, then delete the "more" user.
> > >
> > > Just to make sure the installer doesn't damage /home/me, and to
> > > make it
> > > obvious it won't, if /home/* isn't an empty list, the installer
> > > should
> > > provide a checkbox list to select the ones that should be added
> > > to
> > > /etc/passwd* and /etc/group* with uid and gid taken from /home/*.
> > >
> > > It would also be nice if it would ask "are there backup
> > > /etc/passwd*
> > > and /etc/group* from which those users info ought to be added to
> > > /etc/passwd* and /etc/group*?" That way, users wouldn't need to
> > > re-
> > > enter their passwords and change their default shells.
> > >
> > > Failing that, it would be useful if the "Users" widgets in KDE
> > > and
> > > gnome would look in /home/whomever when a new user "whomever" is
> > > created and ask "do you want to use the uid and gid from
> > > /home/whomever?" and if the answer is "no" then ask "do you want
> > > to
> > > change the uid and gid of /home/whomever to the newly-assigned
> > > uid and
> > > gid, and if so, assign it recursively?" And even if there's no
> > > /home/whomever, it would be useful to have uid and gid boxes,
> > > either
> > > under an "advanced" tab or pre-filled with the ones the widget
> > > invents,
> > > for those of us who have several machines and want to use the
> > > same uid
> > > and gid on all machines to make things like rsync easier.
> > >
> > > --- Van Snyder
> >
> >
> > You have identified a valid need -- setting up consistent user
> > names, UID's, group names, and GID's across a network of computers.
> The "enterprise" solution here is FreeIPA. FreeIPA works as a central
> server for one or more "domains" to which users belong. After setting
> up FreeIPA, an administrator would join new computers (by which we
> might mean physically new, or just logically new because the OS has
> been reinstalled on a an existing device) to the domain. Once joined
> to a domain, the computer knows about all the users in that domain
> and - barring extra restrictions - will allow those users to log in.
I don't have an "enterprise." All I have is four computers in my house.
The simplest solution for me is the one I suggested.
