remove fedora-usermgmt?

[Michael Schwendt]

On Fri, 9 Mar 2007 17:37:07 +0100, Axel Thimm wrote:

> > > > Predictable means you can keep the uid/gid constant,
> > > 
> > > in a floating window.
> > 
> > Eh? What do you mean with "floating"? That you refuse to keep the base
> > value constant? Well, there are lots of other ways how to damage
> > installations.
> 
> Ehem, the floating window *is* the core feature of this package, but I
> agree that it's a bug called a feature ;)

And /etc/login.defs is its uncle. :)

> > > "Constant" is the definition of a fixed uid. If there is need for a
> > > fixed uid, ask for one (yes, there _seems_ to be currently no space, but
> > > that is another issue), if not use useradd -r.
> > 
> > And with useradd -r, how do you get the same uid/gid for a package on all
> > installations, when you want that?
> 
> Technically by just adding the uid/gid as an argument to
> useradd/groupadd.
> 
> From a distibution POV you need to register a fixed uid/gid first, of
> course. And the entity that is in charge of handing out the fixed
> uid/gid will consider your application and accept or reject it.

https://www.redhat.com/archives/epel-devel-list/2007-March/msg00132.html

> > > > but still have an influence on where that is within your range of
> > > > values. Everytime you install a package again on a machine under
> > > > control of a configured fedora-usermgmt, the package allocates the
> > > > same uid/gid.
> > > 
> > > sure - oops, the admin forgot to configure fedora-usermgmt on machine
> > > number 23. Now all uid/gid are messed up.
> > 
> > In the same way you can install the wrong distribution on machine number
> > 23 e.g. because you insert the wrong media. ;) fedora-usermgmt setup can
> > be made available at installation time.
> 
> No, forgetting an additional imposed configure step is different than
> inserting your Vista CD.

The setup package would be included within the admin's configuration
source, e.g. kickstart based network-install.

> > > And then please explain how it can need a fixed uid/gid and still
> > > have survived that long in the
> > > fedora-usermgmt-defaults-to-useradd-r setup.
> > 
> > Because default behaviour is transparent and just like "useradd foo".
> 
> Which means that the package didn't require anything more to begin
> with. QED.

Did you really think they *require* fedora-useradd instead of useradd
just to be installable by Joe User?

=:-O

The real "qed" comes after understanding that with plain "useradd foo" and
without option -u you cannot get the behaviour of a cleanly configured
fedora-usermgmt, because all your uids/gids are unpredictable.