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Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!msunews!uwm.edu!news.alpha.net!news.mathworks.com!udel!gatech!newsfeed.pitt.edu!uunet!epiwrl.entropic.com!usenet From: kenh@entropic.com (Ken Hornstein) Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.questions Subject: Re: NetBSD --> Help for a stupid user Date: 20 Jan 1995 15:30:21 -0500 Organization: Entropic Research Lab, Washington, DC. Lines: 22 Message-ID: <3fp6gt$eio@epiwrl.entropic.com> References: <D2nt5M.5wn@pnfi.forestry.ca> <3fn12m$g7d@sundog.tiac.net> NNTP-Posting-Host: epiwrl.entropic.com Keywords: NetBSD, netbsd, help, X11, XFree86, logon, users In article <3fn12m$g7d@sundog.tiac.net>, Rob Landry <umar@tiac.net> wrote: >I'm running NetBSD on an old 386 beast. I can add users by logging in as >root and running vipw. But I'm not at all sure I understand how NetBSD's >security system works. > >I create a user using vipw, then create a home directory for him. He can't >create files in his home directory, so I have to chmod 777 it. I've assigned >him to group 0-- "wheel", yet he can't su root (it says he's not in the >correct group to su root, although the man page for su says he is in the >correct group). This bit me as well ... it turns out you have to add him in the group list in /etc/groups; su doesn't check the primary group (what's in /etc/passwd), only the "group members" (people listed in /etc/group) are checked. Silly? Yes. >Furthermore, if I make a file for which his group has write privileges, he can't >write to it until I chmod 777 it. Hmmm, now I know this _should_ work ... what groups does "groups" say this user is a member of? --Ken