1) Can i have only one user signed in at a time? If so, how?
I dont want multiple users signed in.

2) Can I setup my system to only allow signin via console, not from anywhere else? If so, How?
I only want console access which means the only person that can log onto my system, is the person PHYSICALLY using it.

Thanks and sorry if my questions are a little out of the ordinary.

Much thanks in advance
Adam

Hmm. Can't see anything weird in this question?..

For controlling tty's for root look in /etc/securetty, for users in /etc/usertty, and then look in /etc/security, for access.conf and the other conf's in there to allow logins by host, time, period (also $TMOUT).

I've never seen a way to exclusively lock out other users tho, except for /etc/nologin, and that ain't "interactive" IIRC). Only root or root-owned processes have caps to control restrictions, ie, I don't think a user-process could deny another user's login.

I just answered this question over at Tek-Tips . You can control user access with /etc/login.access file, specifying which users can login and from where remote host or specify tty device.

A record in this file consists of three colon:delimited fields: a plus (+) or minus (-) sign indicating whether users are allowed access, usr login names allowed access and the remote system or temintal from which they can login.

example

+:joe:bilbo.shire.org

You can list more than one user or location. You can also use the ALL option in place of either users or locations to allow access by all users and locations. The ALL option can be qualified with the EXCEPT option to allow access by certain specified ones. the following entry allows any user to log into the system using the console except for Frodo and Sam
You
+:ALL EXCEPT frodo sam : console

I hope this helps.

Hey,
Thanks for all your help. Just one question.
I dont have an /etc/login.access file. Can i just create one and then add in what you have stated???

Thanks again

you should be fien to create it.

so going by that solution, hw can you stop anyone else logging in? restricting those logging in is fine, but i guess the desired solutino is that any known user can log in, but no one else can when someone already is... presumably you could automate login.access, re-writing the file when a user logs in and out...?

I would assume if you wanted to restrict logins to a particular set of persons you would do:

-:ALL EXCEPT frodo sam : console

Which would say "restrict (-) ALL EXCEPT frodo and sam, from logging in on the console (or whatever tty or remote host you wish. That's an assumption on my part, but it makes sense to me. Works kinda like a hosts.deny and hosts.allow file only in just one place.