RHCSA User and Group Management Flashcards

Which field in /etc/passwd defines the user's primary group?

Answer: Field 4 (GID)

The fourth field in /etc/passwd is the GID (Group ID), which specifies the user's primary group.

What command would you use to change the GID of an existing group named 'developers' to 5000?

Answer: groupmod -g 5000 developers

groupmod -g changes the numeric GID of an existing group.

An administrator runs 'chage -M 90 dave'. What does this accomplish?

Answer: Sets the maximum days a password is valid to 90

chage -M sets PASS_MAX_DAYS — the maximum number of days a password remains valid before forced change.

Which file must be edited to set system-wide defaults for new user accounts such as home directory skeleton and shell?

Answer: /etc/default/useradd

/etc/default/useradd contains defaults like SHELL, HOME base, and SKEL used when useradd creates a new account.

What is the purpose of the /etc/skel directory?

Answer: Contains template files copied to a new user's home directory

/etc/skel contains template files (like .bash_profile, .bashrc) that are copied into every new user's home directory at creation.

Which command removes a user account AND their home directory and mail spool?

Answer: userdel -r alice

userdel -r removes the user's home directory and mail spool in addition to deleting the account.

A user's account shows '!!' in the password field of /etc/shadow. What does this indicate?

Answer: The account has never had a password set and is locked

'!!' in the shadow password field means no password has been set, leaving the account in a locked state.