User Feedback :: Add New User



I'm in the check out phase, still booting from CDROM.  Though the passwd file is not a link to the cdrom, but exists in ramdisk, I can't seem to add a user.  The adduser command says it can't update the file.

I've tried manually editing the file and adding in a user.  I can save the file with the new user in it, but when I run "chpasswd" to set the password, the chpasswd command indcates an error updating the file.  However, I can use chpassswd to change the command of an old entry -- say user damnsmall.

I even added the new user by simply copying and pasting the damnsmall user line, than changing name and account number.  Sill chpasswd indicates an error when updating the file.
Quote (doccpu @ July 14 2004,09:32)
I'm in the check out phase, still booting from CDROM.  Though the passwd file is not a link to the cdrom, but exists in ramdisk, I can't seem to add a user.  The adduser command says it can't update the file.

I've tried manually editing the file and adding in a user.  I can save the file with the new user in it, but when I run "chpasswd" to set the password, the chpasswd command indcates an error updating the file.  However, I can use chpassswd to change the command of an old entry -- say user damnsmall.

I even added the new user by simply copying and pasting the damnsmall user line, than changing name and account number.  Sill chpasswd indicates an error when updating the file.

Thats because its running from the CDROM, which is unwriteable...

If you had a HD install thats a different story

Brian
AwPhuch
That could be.  I thought I was taking care of that in that the passwd file is "not" a link to the cdrom (as are the hosts.allow and some others), but a copy in ram disk.  My intention was to then edit this file (which I can, but cannot put an encripted password in with editor), and list /etc/passwd in the backup list on my backup driver.

Trouble is, while I can edit it, chpasswd and adduser must be reverting to the cdrom, even though the file I'm working is on RAM disk.  

I suspect the problem will go away if/when I install.  I wanted to first prove to myself that I could get the DSL system to operate as a printer server for a Linux and a Windows system on my network.
There maybe some other symlinks in /etc that you have to replace with "real" files (e.g., remove the symlink then copy its target). I can't check right now but I seem to recall that the groups file (and shadow?) also need to be "writeable". Can you try the "addgroup" command to see if it fails also?
Cheers,
Thanks to great suggestions from the forum, the problem is solved.  Had to replace links to group and shadow files with real files, then adduser works.

Thanks
Next Page...
original here.