userdel(8) - NetBSD Manual Pages

USERDEL(8)              NetBSD System Manager's Manual              USERDEL(8)


NAME

     userdel - remove a user from the system


SYNOPSIS

     userdel -D [-p preserve-value]
     userdel [-prv] user


DESCRIPTION

     The userdel utility removes a user from the system, optionally removing
     that user's home diretory and any subdirectories.

     Default values are taken from the information provided in the
     /etc/usermgmt.conf file, which, if running as root, is created using the
     built-in defaults if it does not exist.

     The first form of the command shown above (utilising the -D option) sets
     and displays the defaults for the userdel utility.

     -D      without any further options, -D will show the current defaults
             which will be used by the userdel utility.  Together with one of
             the options shown for the first version of the command, -D will
             set the default to be the new value.

     -p preserve-value
             sets the preservation value. If this value is one of `true',
             `yes', or a non-zero number, then the user login information will
             be preserved.

     In the second form of the command, after setting any defaults, and then
     reading values from /etc/usermgmt.conf, the following command line op-
     tions are processed:

     -p      preserve the user information in the password file, but do not
             allow the user to login, by switching the password to an
             ``impossible'' one, and by setting the user's shell to the
             nologin(8) program. This option can be helpful in preserving a
             user's files for later use by members of that person's group af-
             ter the user has moved on.  This value can also be set in the
             /etc/usermgmt.conf file, using the `preserve' field. If the field
             has any of the values `true', `yes', or a non-zero number, then
             user information preservation will take place.

     -r      remove the user's home directory, any subdirectories, and any
             files and other entries in them.

     -v      perform any actions in a verbose manner.

     Once the information has been verified, userdel uses pwd_mkdb(8) to up-
     date the user database.  This is run in the background, and, at very
     large sites could take several minutes.  Until this update is completed,
     the password file is unavailable for other updates and the new informa-
     tion is not available to programs.

     The userdel utility exits 0 on success, and >0 if an error occurs.


FILES

     /etc/usermgmt.conf


SEE ALSO

     passwd(5), usermgmt.conf(5), nologin(8), pwd_mkdb(8)


HISTORY

     The userdel utility first appeared in NetBSD 1.5.  It is based on the
     addnerd package by the same author.


AUTHORS

     The userdel utility was written by Alistair G. Crooks (agc@netbsd.org).

NetBSD 1.6                     November 30, 1999                             2