*BSD News Article 90343


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From: dgy@rtd.com (Don Yuniskis)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: Re: HELP! how do you remove a user from BSD ?????
Date: 4 Mar 1997 21:30:33 GMT
Organization: CICDO
Lines: 45
Message-ID: <5fi49p$6jh@baygull.rtd.com>
References: <01bbede1$0735a000$664c1bcc@tony.gcr1.com> <331B393F.41C67EA6@netsinc.com> <331B8DA4.4EF0@postoffice.ptd.net> <331C7A52.5063@mail.telegroup.com>
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Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:36562

In article <331C7A52.5063@mail.telegroup.com>,
Richard Windmann  <richardw@mail.telegroup.com> wrote:
>Thomas M. Sommers wrote:
>> 
>> Tim Daneliuk wrote:
>> >
>> > The simplest way I know is to run 'vipw' and delete the line
>> > containing the entry for that user.  Be sure also to remove that user's

A better way is to replace the password field with ``*''.  This invalidates
the user's login but allows you to retain a record of the user name, uid,
gid, etc.  It can be annoying if you have a LARGE passwd file but usually
is insignificant.

Why might you want to save a record of the user?  Because you might
receive mail for that user in the future.  Or, you might receive a 
complaint from some other ISP regarding some actions taken by that user
in the past.  Or, you may create a *NEW* user named "JohnDoe" and *that*
user will wonder why they are getting messages for this previous "JohnDoe".

>> > directory and their entries in the /etc/group file.
>> 
>> Don't overlook the possibility that the to-be-deleted user may own files
>> in other directories.
>
>In particular...
>
>/var/mail/username
>/var/mail/.username.pop

Also under ~ftp
You may wish to explicitly create a .forward for that user -- even if
you forward to /dev/null!  (see sendmail.cf)

>/usr/home/username (Check the directory first - might contain a sym link
>to / and that would be painful - wouldn't it?)

Why not just do a find with -user JohnDoe?

>/etc/aliases (check to make sure the have no aliases)

Yes -- assuming your sendmail aliases are located therein.
YMMV if running other mailers...

--don