Book Image

Linux for System Administrators

By : Viorel Rudareanu, Daniil Baturin
Book Image

Linux for System Administrators

By: Viorel Rudareanu, Daniil Baturin

Overview of this book

Linux system administration is an essential aspect of maintaining and managing Linux servers within an organization. The role of a Linux system administrator is pivotal in ensuring the smooth functioning and security of these servers, making it a critical job function for any company that relies on Linux infrastructure. This book is a comprehensive guide designed to help you build a solid foundation in Linux system administration. It takes you from the fundamentals of Linux to more advanced topics, encompassing key areas such as Linux system installation, managing user accounts and filesystems, networking fundamentals, and Linux security techniques. Additionally, the book delves into the automation of applications and infrastructure using Chef, enabling you to streamline and optimize your operations. For both newcomers getting started with Linux and professionals looking to enhance their skills, this book is an invaluable hands-on guide with a structured approach and concise explanations that make it an effective resource for quickly acquiring and reinforcing Linux system administration skills. With the help of this Linux book, you’ll be able to navigate the world of Linux administration confidently to meet the demands of your role.
Table of Contents (21 chapters)
1
Part 1: Linux Basics
7
Part 2: Configuring and Modifying Linux Systems
13
Part 3: Linux as a Part of a Larger System

How to add a new account

There are two commands, adduser and useradd, that can be utilized in Linux for the purpose of generating new users. The fact that these two commands achieve the same thing (albeit in different ways) and have names that are extremely similar to one another can make this a bit difficult to understand at first. I’ll begin by walking you through the useradd command, and then I’ll describe how adduser works differently. It’s possible that you will prefer the latter option, but we’ll discuss that in a moment.

Using useradd

You need sudo capabilities in order to add an account if you don’t have root access. This must be defined in /etc/sudoers.

To begin, here is a working example of the useradd command that you can put to use:

sudo  useradd -d /home/packt -m packt

I set up a new user with the name packt by using this command. I am confirming that I want a home directory to be established for this user by...