NAME    [Toc]    [Back]

       useradd - Create a new user or update default new user information

SYNOPSIS    [Toc]    [Back]

       useradd [-c comment] [-d home_dir]
	       [-e expire_date] [-f inactive_time]
	       [-g initial_group] [-G group[,...]]
	       [-m [-k skeleton_dir]] [-p passwd]
	       [-s shell] [-u uid [ -o]] login

       useradd -D [-g default_group] [-b default_home]
	       [-f default_inactive] [-e default_expire_date]
	       [-s default_shell]

DESCRIPTION    [Toc]    [Back]

   Creating New Users
       When  invoked  without the -D option, the useradd command creates a new
       user account using the values specified on the  command	line  and  the
       default	values	from the system.  The new user account will be entered
       into the system files as needed, the home directory  will  be  created,
       and  initial  files copied, depending on the command line options.  The
       options which apply to the useradd command are

       -c comment
	      The new user's password file comment field.

       -d home_dir
	      The new user will be created using home_dir as the value for the
	      user's login directory.  The default is to append the login name
	      to default_home and use that as the login directory name.

       -e expire_date
	      The date on which the user account will be disabled.   The  date
	      is specified in the format YYYY-MM-DD.

       -f inactive_days
	      The number of days after a password expires until the account is
	      permanently disabled.  A value of 0 disables the account as soon
	      as the password has expired, and a value of -1 disables the feature.
  The default value is -1.

       -g initial_group
	      The group name or number of the user's initial login group.  The
	      group  name must exist.  A group number must refer to an already
	      existing group.  The default group number is 1.

       -G group,[...]
	      A list of supplementary groups which the user is also  a	member
	      of.   Each  group is separated from the next by a comma, with no
	      intervening whitespace.  The groups  are	subject  to  the  same
	      restrictions as the group given with the -g option.  The default
	      is for the user to belong only to the initial group.

       -m     The user's home directory will be created if it does not	exist.
	      The  files  contained in skeleton_dir will be copied to the home
	      directory if the -k option is used,  otherwise  the  files  contained
  in /etc/skel will be used instead.  Any directories contained
 in skeleton_dir or  /etc/skel  will  be  created  in  the
	      user's  home  directory as well.	The -k option is only valid in
	      conjunction with the -m option.  The default is  to  not	create
	      the directory and to not copy any files.

       -p passwd
	      The encrypted password, as returned by crypt(3).	The default is
	      to disable the account.

       -s shell
	      The name of the user's login shell.  The	default  is  to  leave
	      this  field blank, which causes the system to select the default
	      login shell.

       -u uid The numerical value of  the  user's  ID.	 This  value  must  be
	      unique,  unless  the  -o option is used.	The value must be nonnegative.
  The default is to use the smallest ID	value  greater
	      than 99 and greater than every other user.  Values between 0 and
	      99 are typically reserved for system accounts.

   Changing the default values    [Toc]    [Back]
       When invoked with the -D option, useradd will either display  the  current
  default  values,  or  update  the default values from the command
       line.  The valid options are

       -b default_home
	      The initial path prefix for a new user's	home  directory.   The
	      user's name will be affixed to the end of default_home to create
	      the new directory name if the -d option is not used when	creat-
	      ing a new account.

       -e default_expire_date
	      The date on which the user account is disabled.

       -f default_inactive
	      The  number  of  days  after  a  password has expired before the
	      account will be disabled.

       -g default_group
	      The group name or ID for a new user's initial group.  The  named
	      group must exist, and a numerical group ID must have an existing
	      entry .

       -s default_shell
	      The name of the new user's login shell.  The named program  will
	      be used for all future new user accounts.

       If  no options are specified, useradd displays the current default values.

NOTES    [Toc]    [Back]

       The system administrator is responsible for placing  the  default  user
       files in the /etc/skel directory.

       The adduser program is generally more friendly to use than this one and
       also uses Debian policy conformant UID and GID values, creating a  home
       directory  a  with skeletal configuration, running a custom script, and
       other features. It is more prefered than using this program.

CAVEATS    [Toc]    [Back]

       You may not add a user to an NIS group.	This must be performed on  the
       NIS server.

FILES    [Toc]    [Back]

       /etc/passwd - user account information
       /etc/shadow - secure user account information
       /etc/group - group information
       /etc/default/useradd - default information
       /etc/skel - directory containing default files

SEE ALSO    [Toc]    [Back]

       chfn(1),  chsh(1),  crypt(3),  groupadd(8),  groupdel(8),  groupmod(8),
       passwd(1), userdel(8), usermod(8)

AUTHOR    [Toc]    [Back]

       Julianne Frances Haugh (jfh@austin.ibm.com)



								    USERADD(8)