Abstract
UserDrake is an advanced Mandrakelinux tool which allows system administrators to easily add and remove users of the system, to arrange users in groups, and to manage user groups in the same manner.
Launching UserDrake will display the main window (Figure 6.10, “The Users List in UserDrake”) which lists the users currently defined on the system. You can switch from users to groups by activating the Groups tab next to the Users tab.
From top to bottom: a menu, some action buttons, a search field, and the users/groups tabs.
All changes have immediate effect on your local user database. If the users list is modified outside of UserDrake, you can refresh UserDrake's window by clicking on the button.
![]() | Note |
---|---|
If you make changes to an already logged in user, those changes won't take effect until that user logs out and in again. |
Adds a new user to the system. We will detail this procedure in the section called “Adding a New User”
Allows you to change the parameters of the selected user or group. We will detail editing user parameters in the section called “Adding a New User”. In the case of a group you'll be able to assign users to that group.
Removes the selected user or group from the system. A confirmation dialog will be shown, and in the case of a user you will also be able to remove the user's home directory and messages.
We created the non-privileged user at installation time, and now we want to create a new user called , and then make them both members of the fileshare group, so that they can share folders with other users on the network (the section called “Local Disk Sharing: Allowing Users to Share Folders”).
Click on the button, the dialog box to add a new user will pop up (Figure 6.11, “Adding a New User in the System”). The only required field is Login. You can also choose to add a comment in Full Name. Generally, this is the full name of the user, but you can put whatever you want. You will also want to set a password for this new user: enter both the Password and Confirm Password fields.
We now have two users in our list. Select one of them with your mouse, and click on the button. The dialog box shown in Figure 6.12, “Adding Users to a Group” will pop up. It allows you to modify most available user parameters.
The dialog is made of four tabs:
Allows you to modify information provided when the user was created.
Enables you to provide an expiration date for that account, after which the user won't be able to connect to the system. This is useful for temporary accounts. It's also possible to temporary lock an account to prevent a user from logging in. Finally, this tab allows you to change the icon associated to the user.
Allows you to provide a password expiration date, after which a user will have to change his or her password.
Shows the list of available groups where you can select the groups to which any user should belong.
For our users we just need to look for the fileshare entry and check the box associated to it. Then click on the button to make the changes effective.