useradd doesn't create /home/user_name directory

[Ioannis Vranos]

I tested the bug under Ubuntu 9.10 x64 Server and 10.04 x64 Desktop.

The command:

useradd -c "First name, Last name" [-d /home/user_name] user_name

doesn't create the directory /home/user_name, so when the user user_name logs in the console, he is presented with the error message:

No directory, logging in with HOME=/

Tested with Fedora 13 x64, and it works OK there.

ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: amd64
Date: Thu Jul 8 21:17:14 2010
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.10
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
Package: passwd 1:4.1.4.1-1ubuntu2
ProcEnviron:
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.31-22.60-generic
SourcePackage: shadow
Uname: Linux 2.6.31-22-generic x86_64

[David Sugar (dyfet-deactivatedaccount)]

Thank you for this report. I can understand there are differences in distros sometimes. The default configuration for Debian is to not create the home directory. You have to explicitly use the -m option to do so.

Curiously, the question of whether to automatically create the home directory is not part of the defaults (/etc/defaults/useradd) as far as I can see.

Also, the -d option by itself is not quite what it seems. I note this from the changelog:

    - debian/patches/459_better_document_useradd_-d
      Better document, in useradd.8, that the home_dir specified
      with -d is not created if it does not exist
      Closes: #154996

And:

   - useradd requires the -m option to make it create a home directory
      if one does not exist, closes: #39581

So this specific behavior was decided upon in Debian. It is possible, for different reasons, Fedora chose a different default behavior in this respect.

In any case, I think the package maintainer should now have enough info to understand if this needs to be changed, better documented, or left alone.

[Ioannis Vranos (cppdeveloper)]

On Fri, 2010-07-16 at 20:03 +0000, David Sugar wrote:
> Thank you for this report. I can understand there are differences in
> distros sometimes. The default configuration for Debian is to not
> create the home directory. You have to explicitly use the -m option to
> do so.
>
> Curiously, the question of whether to automatically create the home
> directory is not part of the defaults (/etc/defaults/useradd) as far as
> I can see.
>
> Also, the -d option by itself is not quite what it seems. I note this
> from the changelog:
>
> - debian/patches/459_better_document_useradd_-d
> Better document, in useradd.8, that the home_dir specified
> with -d is not created if it does not exist
> Closes: #154996
>
> And:
>
> - useradd requires the -m option to make it create a home directory
> if one does not exist, closes: #39581
>
> So this specific behavior was decided upon in Debian. It is possible,
> for different reasons, Fedora chose a different default behavior in this
> respect.
>
> In any case, I think the package maintainer should now have enough info
> to understand if this needs to be changed, better documented, or left
> alone.

Thank you for your reply.

Essentially you mean that the default behaviour of useradd under Ubuntu
is the -M option, while in Fedora it is the -m option.

I am currently reading a Linux book and I considered it a bug.

Another thing which I find bothersome, is the fact that the default
shell assigned by useradd is /bin/sh instead of /bin/bash, while under
X.Org, Ubuntu's Users management assigns /bin/bash by default to new
users. I consider this as an inconsistency.

In summary, I think that useradd should create the home directory as the
default behaviour, and provide the same default shell as its GUI
counterparts for consistency.

Regards,

--
Ioannis Vranos

C95 / C++03 Software Developer

http://www.cpp-software.net

[Ioannis Vranos (cppdeveloper)]

Also Ubuntu's GUI Users management also creates the home directory by default, so I think this is also an inconsistency between useradd and its GUI counterparts.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.