Administering user accounts

Setting and changing user and group IDs (UID/GID)

Each user and group is assigned an identification number (UID or GID). This ID number is stamped on all files, directories, and processes on local and NFS-mounted filesystems. When you create a new user or group, a new UID or GID number is automatically generated, but you can specify another by entering it in the text field.

WARNING: Within a network environment, each user and group must have a unique identification number across the entire network, rather than just on the home machine. For more information, see ``About user equivalence'' and ``Adding a new user to an NIS domain''.

Change the ID number for an existing user with the usermod(1M) command. You can include -U option to change the users files to the new UID, as in this example:

usermod -u 712 -U jstone

This command also changes any crontab files. The -U option changes the ownership of files found in directories specified in /etc/default/usermod; it does not locate all files owned by the user.

The groupmod(1M) performs similar functions for groups.

NOTE: Changing an ID number of a group does not change the ID on files owned by the group; the system administrator must do this manually as described in ``Changing ownership of files with an obsolete UID/GID''.

To alter the range of GIDs from which you select for new groups, select Options Group Defaults.

WARNING: Changing default values may compromise systemwide security parameters set by the SCOadmin Security Manager.