I'm trying to install the Mailman mailing list software to
Slackware 10.0.

The Mailman docs ask for this command for Linux, but
Slackware doesn't like it. Could someone translate it to
Slackspeak for me?

useradd -c''GNU Mailman'' -s /no/shell -d /no/home -g mailman mailman

Thanks,

Mike

In <2BQAe.3492$Rx4.2780@tornado.rdc-kc.rr.com>, Michael wrote:

> I'm trying to install the Mailman mailing list software to
> Slackware 10.0.
>
> The Mailman docs ask for this command for Linux, but
> Slackware doesn't like it. Could someone translate it to
> Slackspeak for me?
>
> useradd -c''GNU Mailman'' -s /no/shell -d /no/home -g mailman mailman

But it does ^^

Guessing:
Maybe you should be root to do it? Or is the problem that you should add
the group mailman before that? (groupadd)

Good luck
Franz

--
Franz M. Sauerzopf
Atominstitut, TU Wien

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Michael wrote:
> I'm trying to install the Mailman mailing list software to
> Slackware 10.0.
>
> The Mailman docs ask for this command for Linux, but
> Slackware doesn't like it. Could someone translate it to
> Slackspeak for me?
>
> useradd -c''GNU Mailman'' -s /no/shell -d /no/home -g mailman mailman

Translated to Slackware 10, this would be

useradd -c"GNU Mailman" -s /no/shell -d /no/home -g mailman mailman

Of course, you will first have to
- - add /no/shell to /etc/shells,
- - make a directory called /no/home, and
- - add a group called 'mailman'

Conversely, you can customize the command (as you should in /any/
distribution) to match your own environment.



- --

Lew Pitcher, IT Specialist, Enterprise Data Systems
Enterprise Technology Solutions, TD Bank Financial Group

(Opinions expressed here are my own, not my employer's)
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On 07/12/05 16:37, Michael wrote:
> I'm trying to install the Mailman mailing list software to
> Slackware 10.0.
>
> The Mailman docs ask for this command for Linux, but
> Slackware doesn't like it. Could someone translate it to
> Slackspeak for me?
>
> useradd -c''GNU Mailman'' -s /no/shell -d /no/home -g mailman mailman
>
> Thanks,
>
> Mike
>

Add user "mailman" with group mailman, no shell, no home directory,
literal name "GNU Mailman", i.e. in /etc/passwd:

mailman:x:<uid>:<gid>:GNU Mailman:/:/bin/false

Slackware has a adduser command, but IIRC is an interactive command (no
arguments). I suggest you create the user before you install your s/w,
and you forget about the missing command.

Ciao
Giovanni
--
A computer is like an air conditioner,
it stops working when you open Windows.
Registered Linux user #337974 <http://counter.li.org/>

"Lew Pitcher" <Lew.Pitcher@td.com> wrote in message news:wLQAe.2148$6e3.318762@news20.bellglobal.com.. .
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>
> Michael wrote:
>> I'm trying to install the Mailman mailing list software to
>> Slackware 10.0.
>>
>> The Mailman docs ask for this command for Linux, but
>> Slackware doesn't like it. Could someone translate it to
>> Slackspeak for me?
>>
>> useradd -c''GNU Mailman'' -s /no/shell -d /no/home -g mailman mailman
>
> Translated to Slackware 10, this would be
>
> useradd -c"GNU Mailman" -s /no/shell -d /no/home -g mailman mailman

Thanks, guys. I appreciate it.

Mike

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Giovanni wrote:
> On 07/12/05 16:37, Michael wrote:
>
>> I'm trying to install the Mailman mailing list software to
>> Slackware 10.0.
[snip]
> Slackware has a adduser command, but IIRC is an interactive command (no
> arguments).

Slackware 'adduser' is an interactive script that wraps around useradd
Slackware 'useradd' is the standard non-interactive commandline useradd
command

- --

Lew Pitcher, IT Specialist, Enterprise Data Systems
Enterprise Technology Solutions, TD Bank Financial Group

(Opinions expressed here are my own, not my employer's)
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Lew Pitcher wrote:


> Translated to Slackware 10, this would be
> useradd -c"GNU Mailman" -s /no/shell -d /no/home -g mailman mailman
> - - make a directory called /no/home, and


-m switch takes care of creating a home dir

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In alt.os.linux.slackware, Lew Pitcher dared to utter,
> useradd -c"GNU Mailman" -s /no/shell -d /no/home -g mailman mailman

Personally I prefer to give these faux users real files.

useradd -s /bin/false -d /dev/null mailman

Naturally you need /bin/false in /etc/shells to keep the box from
complaining. Honestly I'm not sure which is better form. Anyone have
any comments?

- --
It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise,
Than for a man to hear the song of fools.
Ecclesiastes 7:5
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+Alan Hicks+ blithely blithered
>
> In alt.os.linux.slackware, Lew Pitcher dared to utter,
>> useradd -c"GNU Mailman" -s /no/shell -d /no/home -g mailman mailman
>
> Personally I prefer to give these faux users real files.
>
> useradd -s /bin/false -d /dev/null mailman
>
> Naturally you need /bin/false in /etc/shells to keep the box from
> complaining. Honestly I'm not sure which is better form. Anyone have
> any comments?

I tend to keep a list of users I've added above and beyond those Slack
puts in.

useradd -s /bin/rbash -d /home/jason/userlist/mailman mailman

That way, years later when I struggle with the upgrade/transfers/yadda
yadda, the list is there. The link to /bin/rbash needs to be created and
added to /etc/shells. This of course doesn't apply to user accounts that
have a human at a keyboard somewhere.

--
I'm young ... I'm HEALTHY ... I can HIKE THRU CAPT GROGAN'S LUMBAR
REGIONS!

On Tue, 12 Jul 2005 17:37:51 -0500, +Alan Hicks+ wrote:
> In alt.os.linux.slackware, Lew Pitcher dared to utter,
>> useradd -c"GNU Mailman" -s /no/shell -d -g mailman mailman
>
> Personally I prefer to give these faux users real files.
>
> useradd -s /bin/false -d /dev/null mailman
>
> Naturally you need /bin/false in /etc/shells to keep the box from
> complaining.

It only complains if you run an FTPd or use the "adduser" script.

> Honestly I'm not sure which is better form. Anyone have any comments?

Well the '-c' flags puts some string in the GECOS field of the user, good
form to do IMO (i.e.: self documenting.) Setting /bin/false as the shell,
logs the account out again directly, which is probably indeed want you
want 'system' accounts to do.

Normally i would set the home directory to the place where the service
lives, this for two reasons: first is documentation again, second is some
deamons chroot to thier home directory (so if that lives on an
nodev,noexec mounted partition ( e.g.: /var ) this adds some security.

Most of the time the dir is like /var/<service> but in some cases it's
/var/empty or /usr/share/empty or whatever (the daemons docs should tell.)
I'd be cousins about setting $HOME to a device file rather then directory.

Some systems default to setting the shell to something like /nonexistent
(or some other dir that doesn't exist: /no/home seems fine too) but this
only has effect if DEFAULT_HOME is set to 'no' in /etc/login.defs ...

Personally i consider the documenting more important here (it has helped
me before, like in: where the hell did that daemon keep its cache again?)

So to me i'd probably be like:

useradd -c "GNU Mailman" -s /bin/false -d /wherever -g mailman mailman

But i'd lock both the user and group allong with that:

gpasswd -R mailman
passwd -l mailman

Although this isn't perfect form either, as it puts an: ``!'' - in
/etc/{shadow,gshadow} - where there should be two: ``!!'' , becouse that
would disable using [g]passwd on the group and account altogether...

Have fun.

--
-Menno.