how to get username use another home directory

[Todd Zullinger]

Globe Trotter wrote:
> Thanks! I wonder that myself, sometimes, but it is for historical
> reasons. In the days that there was no rpms, I used to keep locally
> installed programs there and did not want it wiped out with every
> new tinkering. I still use some of them, but all options are set to
> use /usr/local/trotter, etc.

>>     # usermod -m --home /usr/local/trotter trotter
>>
>> The -m option moves the current home dir to the new dir.
>> Obviously, you don't want trotter logged in when you do this.
>
> Thanks! However, does it not wipe out the /usr/local/trotter
> directory. I just want to get rid of the /home/trotter and make
> everything point to /usr/local/trotter directory (which exists from
> an earlier installation).
>
> I haven't actually tried this, but am just wondering.

I would guess that it would, in which case you'd want to omit the -m
option.  But I can't say that I've tried this anytime in recent
memory.

> Isn't it is a better option to allow for a home directory to be
> chosen at installation? I have never figured out why Fedora does not
> allow this choice (with a default).

I suppose it is very uncommon for folks wanting to change the location
of /home.  Usually you would just make /home a separate partition to
achieve this (and may very well do the same for /usr/local).  Those
options are available in the installer, of course.

If you wanted to make useradd and system-config-users default to a
different location for user home dirs, you can do that as well by
editing /etc/default/useradd and changing the HOME setting.  That
could be done via kickstart even.

Basically, I think that what you want is generally outside of the
majority of use cases.  And when you're in that position, you
sometimes have to do a little tinkering on your own. :)

-- 
Todd        OpenPGP -> KeyID: 0xBEAF0CE3 | URL: www.pobox.com/~tmz/pgp
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Happiness is good health and a bad memory.
    -- Ingrid Bergman (1917-1982)

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