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sm-discuss - Re: [SM-Discuss] create_account & create_group placement

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  • From: "Jeremy Blosser (emrys)" <jblosser-smgl AT firinn.org>
  • To: sm-discuss AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [SM-Discuss] create_account & create_group placement
  • Date: Tue, 9 Aug 2005 10:42:46 -0500

On Aug 09, David Brown [dmlb2000 AT gmail.com] wrote:
> > There is a lot of advantage in keeping the same UID/GIDs between installs
> > and through upgrades or even moving a system from one distro to another
> > while keeping some files around. In the long term this prevents conflicts
> > more than it causes them. Ideally every user would have one UID that
> > could
> > follow them forever but barring that, it's good practice to at least have
> > the system accounts be standard. Most distros do this to keep it standard
> > between installs of their distro and even standard across distros. It's
> > somewhat analogous to the role /etc/services plays.
> >
>
> Okay this is fine but it probably should be documented somewhere that
> this is one of the standards that sourcemage has, maybe we should
> install a filed out group file (ie one with *every* group that could
> be added) so that conflicting groups wouldn't be able to be added
> unless the SA intentionally deleted on of the standard groups.

As Eric noted, SAs should not be playing in < 1000 [GU]ID land, and if we
have spells that are installing conflicting system accounts, those are
bugs. That's why we have a central accounts file.

Installing every possible system user/group up front is not a generally bad
idea and other distros do this, however, it doesn't work so well for us
because new spells are added that need new system accounts, and we either
have to require people to update their /etc/{passwd,group} files before
building that new spell or we have sort of a mix of ways to maintain the
accounts. What we have instead keeps a standard list current and
available to new and old spells without interfering with the installed
system.

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