BASH script for making users from text file

Mike0 · 03-31-2013, 04:56 AM

Hello world!

I have the following code written in BASH. It reads from a .txt file and makes 6 users with their home directories and copies some files and folders to the home directories.

The password is read from the third field in the .txt line, separated by comma(,). It is a 8 digit number.

The script makes the users, but I cant login, it says wrong password.

Also, the users home folders get with them a bonus folder named "Examples" and three config files. I need to use the correct -argument in the useradd command for not having these "bonus" folders, I want the home folder to be empty, only with the manualy added "gradiva" folder which I added with mkdir.

Thanks for any help!

#!/bin/bash

FILE=/home/administrator/seznam.txt
LOG=/home/administrator/postopek.log

while IFS=, read USER USERNAME PASSWORD

do

sudo useradd -p $PASSWORD -c "$USER" -m -U -s /bin/bash $USERNAME

echo "Ustvaril sem uporabnika $USER z uporabniškim imenom $USERNAME in vpisno številko $PASSWORD">>$LOG;

sudo mkdir /home/$USERNAME/gradivo

sudo cp -r /home/administrator/vaje/* /home/$USERNAME/gradivo

sudo chown -R $USERNAME:$USERNAME /home/$USERNAME/gradivo

done < $FILE

millgates · 03-31-2013, 05:25 AM

I think the useradd -p expects the password to be encrypted.

man useradd:

Code:

 -p, --password PASSWORD
           The encrypted password, as returned by crypt(3). The default is to disable the
           password.

           Note: This option is not recommended because the password (or encrypted password) will
           be visible by users listing the processes.

           You should make sure the password respects the system's password policy.

So you should encrypt the passwords before passing them to useradd.
Alternatively, you may use the chpasswd utility to set the passwords after creating the user accounts.

edit:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike0

Also, the users home folders get with them a bonus folder named "Examples" and three config files. I need to use the correct -argument in the useradd command for not having these "bonus" folders, I want the home folder to be empty, only with the manualy added "gradiva" folder which I added with mkdir.

man useradd:

Code:

       -m, --create-home
           Create the user's home directory if it does not exist. The files and directories
           contained in the skeleton directory (which can be defined with the -k option) will be
           copied to the home directory.
[...]
       -k, --skel SKEL_DIR
           The skeleton directory, which contains files and directories to be copied in the
           user's home directory, when the home directory is created by useradd.

           This option is only valid if the -m (or --create-home) option is specified.

           If this option is not set, the skeleton directory is defined by the SKEL variable in
           /etc/default/useradd or, by default, /etc/skel.

konsolebox · 04-05-2013, 12:21 AM

Please place your command arguments with variables inside double quotes as well:

Code:

"$PASSWORD"
"/bin/bash $USERNAME"
"$LOG"
"/home/$USERNAME/gradivo"
"$USERNAME:$USERNAME"
"/home/$USERNAME/gradivo"
"$FILE"

As that would be safer and portable with values containing spaces especially with unrestrictive directories.

chrism01 · 04-05-2013, 02:31 AM

Another option is the newusers tool http://linux.die.net/man/8/newusers