Getting Around Linuxconf: Adding a User
by David Johns and Jonathan Arehart
1999.11.21.02
Linuxconf, or Linux Configurator, is a fairly powerful tool to handle all of the various text files that make up a linux system's configuration. You should log in as root to execute linuxconf. Run it from the command line by simply typing "linuxconf" at a prompt.
[root@computer directory]# linxuconf
Note: The first time you run linuxconf, a screen with a welcome message and help will appear. This will not happen on any subsequent executions and we will simply assume that you have used the -tab- key to go to the quit option and press -Enter-.
Use the up-and-down arrows to move between options on the list that linuxconf will present to you. The top few options should appear something like:
- Config
- Networking
- Client Tasks
Basic host information
...
The dashes (-) mark an open category; a plus (+) will mark a closed
category. You can change the state of a category by pressing -enter- when
the category is highlighted. Open categories show you the subcategories
beneath them. Anything without a dash or a plus, however, is an option,
and you can select a specific option with the -enter- key as well. This
will provide you with an entirely new screen. Use the down arrow to find the
category "Users accounts" with the category "Normal" underneath. Higlight the
option "User accounts" and press -Enter-. This will take you to an entirely
new screen.
This screen shows you a list of the user accounts on the system, or, if there are too many, it will provide you with a screen to sift through which accounts you wish to edit. However, the task we are attending at this point is to add a user. This only requires the use of the "Add" button at the bottom of the screen. You cannot reach those with the arrow keys; you must use -Tab- to highlight the "Add" button and then press enter. This will take you to yet another screen.
On this screen, you will have to provide the information for the user account you wish to create. Not all of the options must have information beside them. To begin with, there is a check box ([ ] or [X]) as the first option, and it determines whether or not the account is enabled. It should be X'd [X] by default. If you wish to change a check box, press the -space bar- while it is highlighted.
The next options that you need to fill in are text options; that is, you should use the down arrow to reach them and then type in the relevant information. You must provide a "Login name" for the user, and it should probably be short and easy to type. Case does matter. In all things Un*x, case is important. Thus, an easy to type login name would be "foo", whereas a difficult one would be "YggDrasil". Do not add any spaces or special characters to login names. They will not work. Also, Linuxconf requires that you supply a full name for the user. This can have spaces and special characters. It will appear by default on things like outgoing messages as the user's real name. The rest of the options can be left blank. Look things over, and when you want to add the account, press -Tab- to reach the Accept button, and press -Enter-. You've created a user!