Summary

This chapter provided information on how users and groups are identified in Linux and how you can effectively manage user and group information using YaST and command-line tools. The following topics were covered in this chapter:

• User and group IDs

• System users versus regular users

• The /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow, and /etc/group files

• Ways to create and update user and group information using YaST and command-line tools

• User account security considerations

The next chapter will provide you with information and tips on how best to secure your users' working environment. For instance, you can restrict users to be able to log in using only certain terminal consoles and apply disk quotes so the server does not run out of disk space, resulting in what is sometimes known as "self denial of service" (SDOS).