NAME

newuser − adding a new user

SYNOPSIS

­rc /sys/lib/newuser

DESCRIPTION

To establish a new user on Plan 9, add the user’s name to ­/adm/users by running the ­newuser command on the console of the file server (see users(6) and fs(8)). Next, give the user a password using the ­changeuser command on the console of the authentication server (see auth(8)). At this point, the user can bootstrap a terminal using the new name and password. The terminal will only get as far as running rc, however, as no ­profile exists for the user. 

The rc(1) script ­/sys/lib/newuser sets up a sensible environment for a new user of Plan 9.  Once the terminal is running rc, type

rc /sys/lib/newuser

to build the necessary directories in ­/usr/$user and create a reasonable initial profile in /usr/$user/lib/profile.  The script then runs the profile which, as its last step, brings up 8½(1). At this point the user’s environment is established and running. (There is no need to reboot.) It may be prudent at this point to run passwd(1) to change the password, depending on how the initial password was chosen.

The ­profile built by ­/sys/lib/newuser looks like this:

bind -a $home/bin/rc /bin
bind -a $home/bin/$cputype /bin
font = /lib/font/bit/pelm/euro.9.font
switch($service){
case terminal
prompt=(’term% ’ ’’)
fn term%{ $∗ }
exec 8½
case cpu
bind -b /mnt/term/mnt/8½ /dev
prompt=(’cpu% ’ ’’)
echo -n $sysname > /dev/label
fn cpu%{ $∗ }
news
case con
prompt=(’cpu% ’ ’’)
news
}

Sites may make changes to ­/sys/lib/newuser that reflect the properties of the local environment. 

Use the ­-c option of mail(1) to create a mailbox.

SEE ALSO

passwd(1), 8½(1), namespace(4), users(6), auth(8), fs(8)

Plan 9  —  April 04, 1995