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FAQ 

User Administration

How do I add users from the GUI?
How do I configure users user settings?
Can you add or configure users from the shell, or remotely?
How do I change my shell?
How do I add users from the GUI?

From the Finder, click Apps, Utilities, Multiple Users.

How do I configure users user settings?

Well, you can set passwords, shells, homedirs, etc from Apps->Utilities->NetInfoManager, then click "users". Remember to unlock the panel using your root password.

Can you add or configure users from the shell, or remotely?

You can now! I wrote a quick script (now at ver 0.2) just for that purpose. Currently it does a pretty good job of safely adding users. Next I'll add "usermod" and "userdel" options to reconfigure or delete existing users. (The name is derived from "PW for os-X", since the script's interface is modeled on that of pw(8) from FreeBSD.)

Tracy Snell then one-upped me with a fully interactive port of adduser(8) for MacOS X :-) (new version with additional features forthcoming)

How do I change my shell?

As stated above, you can edit your NetInfo-stored default shell (ie, what would normally be in /etc/passwd) from the GUI using Apps->Utilities->NetInfoManager. Or, from the command-line, use this:

niutil -createprop / /users/username shell /path/to/shell
Ie, to set the shell to /bin/bash for user "mzieg", you'd do this:
niutil -createprop / /users/mzieg shell /bin/bash
However, note that this will only change your shell if you login from ANOTHER host, ie using telnet or ssh. To change the shell that is executed when you run Terminal.app, you need to set the preferences for Terminal.app itself, ie:
  1. Run Terminal (which is probably already in your dock, if you're reading this website!)
  2. From the "Application" menu (which will be a Terminal icon, or the word "Terminal", in the left-most position of the menu bar, where the Apple Menu used to be), select "Preferences".
  3. Scroll down on the left-hand column to "shells"
  4. Type the path to the shell you want (I like /bin/bash, myself)

(This tip provided especially for buzz)

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