source: BOOK/final-preps/common/addinguser.xml@ c5c09e6

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<!DOCTYPE sect1 PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.5//EN"
  "http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.5/docbookx.dtd" [
  <!ENTITY % general-entities SYSTEM "../../general.ent">
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<sect1 id="ch-final-preps-addinguser">
  <?dbhtml filename="addinguser.html"?>

  <title>Adding the CLFS User</title>

  <para>When logged in as user <systemitem class="username">root</systemitem>,
  making a single mistake can damage or destroy a system. Therefore, we
  recommend building the packages as an unprivileged user.
  You could use your own user name, but to make it easier to set up a clean
  work environment, create a new user called <systemitem
  class="username">clfs</systemitem> as a member of a new group (also named
  <systemitem class="groupname">clfs</systemitem>) and use this user during
  the installation process. As <systemitem class="username">root</systemitem>,
  issue the following commands to add the new user:</para>

<screen><userinput>groupadd clfs
useradd -s /bin/bash -g clfs -d /home/clfs clfs
mkdir -pv /home/clfs
chown -v clfs:clfs /home/clfs</userinput></screen>

  <variablelist>
    <title>The meaning of the command line options:</title>

    <varlistentry>
      <term><parameter>-s /bin/bash</parameter></term>
      <listitem>
        <para>This makes <command>bash</command> the default shell for
        user <systemitem class="username">clfs</systemitem>.</para>

        <important>
          <para>The build instructions assume that the <command>bash</command>
          shell is in use.</para>
        </important>

      </listitem>
    </varlistentry>

    <varlistentry>
      <term><parameter>-g clfs</parameter></term>
      <listitem>
        <para>This option adds the new user to the
        <systemitem class="groupname">clfs</systemitem> group.</para>
      </listitem>
    </varlistentry>

    <varlistentry>
      <term><parameter>-d /home/clfs</parameter></term>
      <listitem>
        <para>This option sets the user's home directory, but does not create
        it. We could have used <option>-m</option> to tell
        <command>useradd</command> to create the directory as well, but this
        would also copy the contents of the host system's
        <filename class="directory">/etc/skel</filename> directory into the new
        user's home. We would prefer to have a clean user environment, so we
        just create an empty directory after adding the user.</para>
      </listitem>
    </varlistentry>

    <varlistentry>
      <term><parameter>clfs</parameter></term>
      <listitem>
        <para>This is the actual name for the created group and user.</para>
      </listitem>
    </varlistentry>

  </variablelist>

  <para>To log in as <systemitem class="username">clfs</systemitem> (as
  opposed to switching to user <systemitem class="username">clfs</systemitem>
  when logged in as <systemitem class="username">root</systemitem>, which
  does not require the <systemitem class="username">clfs</systemitem> user
  to have a password), give <systemitem class="username">clfs</systemitem>
  a password:</para>

<screen><userinput>passwd clfs</userinput></screen>

  <para>As <systemitem class="username">root</systemitem>,
  grant <systemitem class="username">clfs</systemitem> full access to
  <filename class="directory">${CLFS}/cross-tools</filename> and
  <filename class="directory">${CLFS}/tools</filename> by making <systemitem
  class="username">clfs</systemitem> the directorys' owner:</para>

<screen><userinput>chown -v clfs ${CLFS}/tools
chown -v clfs ${CLFS}/cross-tools</userinput></screen>

  <para>If a separate working directory was created as suggested, run the
  following command as <systemitem class="username">root</systemitem> to
  give user <systemitem class="username">clfs</systemitem> ownership of this
  directory as well:</para>

<screen><userinput>chown -v clfs ${CLFS}/sources</userinput></screen>

  <para>Next, login as user <systemitem class="username">clfs</systemitem>.
  This can be done via a virtual console, through a display manager, or
  with the following substitute user command:</para>

<screen><userinput>su - clfs</userinput></screen>

  <para>The <quote><parameter>-</parameter></quote> instructs
  <command>su</command> to start a login shell as opposed to a non-login
  shell. The difference between these two types of shells can be found
  in detail in <filename>bash(1)</filename> and <command>info
  bash</command>.</para>

  <note>
    <para>Until specified otherwise, all commands from this point on
    should be done as the <systemitem class="username">clfs</systemitem>
    user.</para>
  </note>

</sect1>