About User Accounts

Each user on the network is represented by a user account.

A user account:

When a user logs in to the Solaris Management Console (SMC), Solaris authenticates the user's identity, using the user name and password. Part of the authentication process is to determine which tools are available to the user for managing network resources: Users granted the right of Primary Administrator have complete access to all management applications; other administrators are limited to being able to manage resources through specific administrative applications; all users can view information, only specific users can change information. See Rights for Users and Roles.

Adding User Accounts

Starting from System Configuration in the left pane of the SMC, select Users and User Accounts. Then, click the Action menu for items related to adding users.

You can add new user accounts in several ways: individually, in multiples, starting from scratch, or starting from a template (which you must first create).

The Add User Wizard provides step-by-step screens to help add individual user accounts. The Add Multiple Users Wizard allows you to add multiple accounts in three different ways: a text file of names, with names you type in, or by automatic generation of user names.

To simplify creating user accounts, wizards request only a subset of user properties for each new user. To view or modify user properties, or to add ones that were not included with the wizard, in User Accounts double-click the user's name to open the User Properties dialog box.

User Templates

Templates help you add new user accounts by providing information new users have in common. Use the Add Template dialog box to create and store a set of standard information about a typical user. For example, you can create a template that contains many of the characteristics of a person who works in the accounting department. Then, use the template as your starting point when creating new user accounts for individuals in that department.

The Home Directory

When you add a user, User Manager sets up the user's home directory by doing the following:

User Initialization Files

Part of setting up a user's home directory is providing a "user initialization file" whose primary purpose is to define the user's work environment: search path, windowing environment, environment variables, and so forth. The /etc/skel directory contains default initialization files. You can use those files as a starting point and modify them to provide a work environment common to all users, or to provide different working environments for different types of users.

The three initialization files in the /etc/skel directory are:

When these files are copied to home directories, each is renamed:

For additional information about user initialization files, see "Customizing a User's Work Environment" in the System Administration Guide, Volume 1.

Reserved UID Numbers

User ID numbers 0 through 99 are reserved and cannot be used for regular user accounts.

By definition, root is always UID 0, daemon is UID 1, and pseudo-user bin has UID 2.

In addition, UID 60001 is nobody, UID 60002 is noaccess, and UID 65534 is nobody4.

Deleting User Accounts

When you attempt to delete user accounts, a Warning dialog box appears. It informs you that entries will be removed from the directory services databases and user names removed from groups. It also gives you the option of removing the home directory and the mailbox for each deleted user.

There are certain home directories that you cannot remove, even if a user account with that directory is deleted. These are: /, /etc, /usr, /home, /var, /opt, /tmp, and /proc.

Home Directory Not Created - Error

When you are adding a user, User Manager may be unable to contact the home directory server you specify. In that case, a message tells you the user was added but the home directory could not be created. See Home Directory Not Created in Troubleshooting.