I would like to change my username (or login name) and am wondering what the safest route to do so is. The install is on a headless server, which I just use ssh.
There's a) using usermod -l newname oldname. The line in the usermod man that says that changing the login name doesn't change anything else, which makes me think that something else is bound to break.
I've also considered b) creating a new user, moving the contents of my home directory to the new user, and deleting the old user. This is kind of cumbersome, but would this be the recommended way to ensure everything goes well (considering I still have to redo some config files).
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Safest way to change a username/login name
Re: Safest way to change a username/login name
safest? safe for what?
if I recall correctly, if you just change the username home will still be the same as the old username...kind of weird....at least to me...
if it was me I would create new user, copy files over to new home, delete old user
if I recall correctly, if you just change the username home will still be the same as the old username...kind of weird....at least to me...
if it was me I would create new user, copy files over to new home, delete old user
Re: Safest way to change a username/login name
Safe as in the least collateral damage if I end up completely obliterating anything else on the system.refracta wrote:safest? safe for what?
Edit: Also, does deleting a user leave any residue that needs to be cleaned up after?
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cynwulf
Re: Safest way to change a username/login name
Try "man userdel" at the terminal.anonova wrote:Safe as in the least collateral damage if I end up completely obliterating anything else on the system.refracta wrote:safest? safe for what?
Edit: Also, does deleting a user leave any residue that needs to be cleaned up after?
From memory, userdel removes the user, "userdel -r" clears the home directory as well.
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thewanderer
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Re: Safest way to change a username/login name
How I change local login names:
1. Edit /etc/passwd, find the line that corresponds to your user, and change the login name - also home directory if you want to
2. Edit /etc/shadow and do the same
3. In case you changed the home directory, move the home directory to the new place
4. Either fix all set paths that the user had (for instance, KDE has a bad habit of using absolute paths to the wallpaper in your home directory) or make a symbolic link: ln -s /home/newusername /home/oldusername
1. Edit /etc/passwd, find the line that corresponds to your user, and change the login name - also home directory if you want to
2. Edit /etc/shadow and do the same
3. In case you changed the home directory, move the home directory to the new place
4. Either fix all set paths that the user had (for instance, KDE has a bad habit of using absolute paths to the wallpaper in your home directory) or make a symbolic link: ln -s /home/newusername /home/oldusername
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Re: Safest way to change a username/login name
depends on how you remove the user....but it is nothing that is going to cause a nuclear meltdown or anything...anonova wrote:
Edit: Also, does deleting a user leave any residue that needs to be cleaned up after?
I suggest you man deluser
I usually use deluser --remove-home --remove-all-files username