Re: [cobalt-users] One User - Admin for multiple domains

[Jeff Lasman <jblists@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Carrie Bartkowiak wrote:

> Oooh! I wonder if this is why I couldn't get it to work for me. I was trying
> to add the user through the GUI first as a site admin (just for one site),
> and then adding that user to the other sites he needed to administrate in
> /etc/groups.

Actually that "should" work.  What didn't work?  Did you add the user to
the groups you wanted him/her to be able to admin?  That'll give him the
rights to the files, as I see it.

For example, here's a directory line from my RaQ3:

-rw-rw-r--   1 altsx010 site4         525 Dec  1 15:29 index.htm

Note that every member of site4 has the same rights as user altsx010.

Now look at a line from my /etc/group file:

site4:x:115:admin,altsx010

The key is that site admins (altsx010 is a site admin) are made members
of the site group, and users are not; they're just members of users.

So if you've got a site admin you'd like to be responsible for site1,
site2, site3, and site4, all you should need to do is make that user a
member of each of these groups.

Note that it won't help you from the gui, but it should give you ftp
rights.

> Okay then, new question - *really* stupid question.
> Could you please direct me to instructions on adding a user and that user's
> password without the GUI?

Yes, though you don't need to.  You can do:

$ man adduser

or

$ man useradd

they both lead to the same man file, btw.

You can also download (from anonymous ftp at ftp.nobaloney.net) my copy
of adduser; a script I wrote; it's generally true that linux
distributions include either a symbolic link linking adduser to useradd,
or their own adduser script; I just wrote my own <smile>.  Be sure you
understand what it does, though, and write your own using it as an
example; it's specifically written for non-RAQ systems, and makes a lot
of assumptions about the systems it was written for.  It's well
documented, though.

You can even add lines to /etc/group, /etc/passwd, and /etc/shadow by
hand if you want, but you do need to know what you're doing; see:

$ man 5 shadow
$ man 5 passwd
$ man 5 group

That "man"ual included with Linux is quite big and very comprehensive,
but unless you've actually seen a printed one, you won't really know
what you can look for, and that's it's greatest problem.  It's also why
I recommend the Sybex book "Linux Complete" (us$19.95).

And what's nice is that when you make changes to shadow, passwd, and
group you don't even need to restart anything; the changes start working
immediately.

> I can do it with the shell tools but since this would add them to the GUI, I
> am assuming this won't work the way it needs to.

It'll work, but you'll need to add to the /etc/group file.

> If I can get this working I'm going to be happy as a clam, and I'll have at
> least one user who has a *lot* of sites who'll be happier than I am! :)
> (At least I can change my sites with admin, he has to change to each
> individual site's login as it stands.)

Let me know if you're still having problems; I'll work this through with
you and write a knowledgebase article if it'll help everyone <smile>.

Jeff
-- 
Jeff Lasman <jblists@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
nobaloney.net
P. O. Box 52672
Riverside, CA  92517
voice: (909) 787-8589  *  fax: (909) 782-0205