User creation not working?

If you are new to YDL and have some more or less basic questions.

User creation not working?

Postby Cyberuben » 02 Nov 2010, 19:54

Hey,

I created an account for myself, with the name "ruben". It was ruben and not Ruben or something else.
I am really sure, that my password was right, 2 times, but, can it have an @ or something?
Because I reinstalled because my useraccount wasn't working, so I was wondering, maybe you guys know the answer.

Ruben
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Re: User creation not working?

Postby aguilarojo » 03 Nov 2010, 08:13

Cyberuben wrote:Hey,

I created an account for myself, with the name "ruben". It was ruben and not Ruben or something else.
I am really sure, that my password was right, 2 times, but, can it have an @ or something?
Because I reinstalled because my useraccount wasn't working, so I was wondering, maybe you guys know the answer.

Ruben


Hi Ruben!

I believe it is best to discover whom are the users currently recognized within your system. This is done by invoking the user command which lists users recognized in YDL (or any Linux/Unix system).

Code: Select all
[gandalf@middleearth ~]$ users
gandalf gandalf
[gandalf@middleearth ~]$


In order to change the password I previously entered for the user ID known as gandalf, use the passwd command which allows me to change the password. Note that I switched from user to root mode which means that I have and recall the distinct and different password for root! Notice also that I needed to enter the root password after invoking the superuser (su) command. The root, also known as the System Administrator password, which is established usually during the first boot or installation procedure of YDL (or any Linux), if memory serves me well.

The sequence "su -", without the quotes, is a special invocation of the su command which allows access to all commands available within YDL regardless where the command is located within the directory tree (which means some commands may be located in /usr/bin and others in /usr/local/bin). If I did not use the special invocation I would have to know exactly where in which directory that specific command is located, in order to actually use that particular command.

Code: Select all
[gandalf@middleearth ~]$ su -
Password:
[root@middleearth ~]# passwd gandalf
Changing password for user gandalf.
New UNIX password:
Retype new password:
passwd: all authentication tokens updated successfully.
[root@middleearth ~]#



Regarding your query regarding the @. I believe that you are perhaps referring to having something like an email address like gandalf@middleearth.org which brings us to a bit of long discussion regarding the hostname command. I recommend that you access information regarding the hostname command on your own system by doing:

Code: Select all
man hostname


or

Code: Select all
info hostname


You can use either man or info to learn about any installed Linux command so that you can learn something regarding it.

Returning to the hostname command, you'll notice an explanation regarding something called dnsdomainname and nisdomainname. These commands are related to assigning your server an officially listed and recognized web address recognized everywhere on planet earth. There is a formal application process (which is not free) involved with one or more web agencies which allow you to complete this application process legally so that only you have the name you choose and no one else. Once the application process is completed this means that anytime that name is entered on the web into a Universal Resource Locator (URL) it will bring that person to your server's website/webpage. Note the word "server", this is not merely an email address like sillyname@gmail.com or sillyname@yahoo.com which points to the servers owned by gmail and yahoo. The server that you are registering which will be on permanently during and after the registration process will be that computer which has that name you are registering. You'll also be responsible for keeping it virus/spam free and a list of other server "best practice" standards so that your server doesn't become a spam/virus server, infecting everyone else and risking being black-listed.

The hostname command allows you to establish the name of the computer, which is the server I am running YDL on, which up to that point is identified as localhost. Doing so allows the computer to be identified as mine is which is:

[gandalf@middleearth ~]$

There is no way to send me an email from anywhere on the web to me using this because I did not register this server formally and I block the web from any access to this name. I will however receive internal messages from the system itself reporting boot problems, errors etc. registered from middleearth directed to root@middleearth. This can be changed so that these messages are directed via internal mail to gandalf@middleearth instead but that process is a different topic.

I recommend that you acquire a reference text on Linux System Administration to learn more details such as modifying YDL so that it is changed from a single user system into a multiuser system for multiple users with multiple login accounts, in the event that making this change interests you. The command to do this is fairly straightforward, what is not easy however is controlling the users you allow on your system. Here is a list of questions every professional System Administrator must consider and which you will have to consider if you proceed along the direction of switching to a multi-user YDL (or any Linux) system.

  • What applications and commands will users be allowed to use?

  • What shell will users be logged into by default?

    Keep in mind that the ksh shell also has the ability to restrict specific users to a sub-shell known as rsh which is so limited that users cannot use any applications or commands not defined or approved by the System Administrator, also these shells report any attempted violations back to the System Administrator. Commercial Linux and Unix systems have these shells by default; ksh can be installed into YDL as well.

There are other concerns and responsibilities of the System Administrator such as building a strong firewall, protecting the system and more. The responsibilities and duties of the job can fill several University class libraries so I invite you to start with one reference work which makes sense to you and proceed expand your learning from there.

All the best...
Last edited by aguilarojo on 04 Nov 2010, 02:24, edited 3 times in total.

Everything on the Earth has a purpose.
Every disease an herb to cure it.
And every person has a mission.
This is the Indian Theory of Existence.
-- Morning Dove, Salish (1888-1936)
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Re: User creation not working?

Postby Cyberuben » 03 Nov 2010, 16:30

So you say that the @ redirects to a hostname, and that's why it's not working?
Because, I just made my useraccount, with the menu, so it wasn't text based.
I'm using a Mac PowerPC G4 if you need to know
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Re: User creation not working?

Postby aguilarojo » 03 Nov 2010, 17:22

Cyberuben wrote:So you say that the @ redirects to a hostname, and that's why it's not working?
Because, I just made my useraccount, with the menu, so it wasn't text based.
I'm using a Mac PowerPC G4 if you need to know


The @ doesn't redirect to a hostname as much as it precedes the hostname as a signifier. This is like Mr. or Ms. signifies the sex of an individual except here we are not identifying sex but we are identifying the name of the host system. The example I provided above within YDL is: [gandalf@middleearth ~]$

Look carefully at how the system identifies itself, this appears when any terminal window is opened within YDL.

However OS X is a bit different. Within OS X, defining root is a more involved process which I've got to refer you to Apple for, although I use OS X myself. Most of my interest and professional work is restricted to YDL or Linux as it is more prolific and a truly open source system publicly available for all; you can't beat free. OS X as a commercial system has value, but it's power is based upon a Unix known as BSD Unix which has even more flexibility, power and strength than OS X! There are reasons for commercial versions of Unix of course, and although OS X makes wonderful eye-candy it is considered the least valuable, weakest and least secure of all the commercial families of Unix.

If you are within OS X, please find and open the application within the Utilities folder known as Terminal. When Terminal opens you will see how OS X identifies both itself and you as the user of OS X opening the Terminal. You should understand enough to have a better idea of how OS X and Linux because of their roots in Unix use a similar, not quite identical, user and system identification structure.

By the way, I'm merely identifying how these systems utilize different identification processes for user and root. Hopefully, it is a little clearer why root and user passwords should be distinct and different from one another as the root designation is intended to be different in the scale of functions allowed in any system.

You mention problems you are having. It is not clear whether they are problems within YDL or OS X, or both. Some problems can be resolved by becoming clear regarding establishing clear and distinct, as well as separate passwords, for user and root accounts. Other problems need to be explored in more detail.

I think you need to be a bit more specific identifying which operating system you are complaining about and what problem you are having within it.

All the best...

Everything on the Earth has a purpose.
Every disease an herb to cure it.
And every person has a mission.
This is the Indian Theory of Existence.
-- Morning Dove, Salish (1888-1936)
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Re: User creation not working?

Postby ppietro » 04 Nov 2010, 00:05

Cyberuben wrote:Hey,

I created an account for myself, with the name "ruben". It was ruben and not Ruben or something else.
I am really sure, that my password was right, 2 times, but, can it have an @ or something?
Because I reinstalled because my useraccount wasn't working, so I was wondering, maybe you guys know the answer.

Ruben


Your password must not have been right. Yes you can have an @ in unix passwords. Remeber - unix passwords are case sensitive.

Also - you don't need to re-install if your user account isn't working. Just log in as root and use the passwd command to reassign a new password to your normal user.

The syntax would have been something like - as root user - passwd ruben . Then, just follow the prompts.

If you need help with the passwd command syntax, man passwd from a terminal window will tell you how to use it.

Cheers,
Paul
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Re: User creation not working?

Postby aguilarojo » 04 Nov 2010, 02:40

Hi Ruben:

Paul suggested that your intention was to use @ as part of your Unix/Linux password.

The problem with using such characters (!,_#, whatever you can imagine) is that you have to remember exactly the precise location of where these characters are exactly placed in the password you created. The human mind being what it is you should be clear that there are only a very few people in existence at any one time in any reasonably large population that can remember such passwords without writing them down.

Of course, if you need to write the password down and you can't quickly recall it to memory then you are losing work and access time to your computer because you won't be allowed to use root or even user functions until you do remember. The other problem is that if you wrote such a complicated password down anywhere in your smartphone, onto a notepad or horrors onto a post-it note, then you have weakened any security you may have had to keep your password secret and used only by yourself as the likely hood of someone being able to read a post-it note you left somewhere or lift the information from your smartphone needs to be considered as a given.

Not pleasant possibilities to think of but true, nonetheless.

Everything on the Earth has a purpose.
Every disease an herb to cure it.
And every person has a mission.
This is the Indian Theory of Existence.
-- Morning Dove, Salish (1888-1936)
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Re: User creation not working?

Postby Cyberuben » 05 Nov 2010, 20:03

My password is *@****
the * is just to censor it, and, I was REALLY sure that the password was right.
I also tried to type ruben except for Ruben, and it wasn't working.
My dad asked some friend of him, and he said that the @ could be the problem.
I use this password, since it's really hard for me to remind those things.
I also use this password for the other things where I'm going to use the PC for.

Ruben
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Re: User creation not working?

Postby ppietro » 06 Nov 2010, 00:06

Cyberuben wrote:My password is *@****
the * is just to censor it, and, I was REALLY sure that the password was right.
I also tried to type ruben except for Ruben, and it wasn't working.


Well - the login names are case sensitive as well. If your login is Ruben, and you type in ruben, you can't log in.

Since you re-installed YDL - we may never know what happened. :)

I did try creating an account with the name Ruben and a password of 1@3456, and it worked fine.

Cyberuben wrote:My dad asked some friend of him, and he said that the @ could be the problem.
I use this password, since it's really hard for me to remind those things.
I also use this password for the other things where I'm going to use the PC for.


I hate to insult your Dad's friend, but he's wrong. The @ is not the problem. As long as the rest of your password is letters or numbers, that should work fine.

Remember - it's case sensitive too. P@ssword is not the same as p@ssword to Linux.

Cheers,
Paul
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