[users-admin] Can't create new user accounts

[jonathan bidwell boitano]

Binary package hint: gnome-system-tools

I've tried to add new users in "users-admin" but it's impossible... I click on "add user", then follow the instructions but nothing happen, only the root account appears. Very strange. In the login screen I can my name, nobody else. May the problem possibly be in the package "policykit"? I've experienced configuration problems with that...

ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: i386
Date: Fri Oct 23 20:38:16 2009
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.10
ExecutablePath: /usr/bin/users-admin
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 9.10 "Karmic Koala" - Release Candidate i386 (20091020.3)
NonfreeKernelModules: wl nvidia
Package: gnome-system-tools 2.28.1-0ubuntu1
ProcEnviron:
 LANG=en_GB.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.31-14.48-generic
SourcePackage: gnome-system-tools
Uname: Linux 2.6.31-14-generic i686

[Milan Bouchet-Valat (nalimilan)]

Thanks for your report. We need more information to understand how the bug you describe could happen. Please read the instructions at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DebuggingGnomeSystemTools, and follow the procedure for the tool users-admin.

[jonathan bidwell boitano (jonathan-bidwell)]

And users-admin.log was an empty file.

[Milan Bouchet-Valat (nalimilan)]

Thanks! So far the only strange thing from the logs is the GID set to 0. I guess you did not change manually the user's main group, did you?

Does the directory /home/invitado exist? What does running the command
sudo /usr/sbin/adduser --gecos --disabled-password --home /home/invitado --gid 0 --shell /bin/bash --uid 1001 invitado
say? If that fails, please also check that no group called 'invitado' or using GID 1001 exists, and try
sudo addgroup --gid 1001 invitado
sudo /usr/sbin/adduser --gecos --disabled-password --home /home/invitado --gid 1001 --shell /bin/bash --uid 1001 invitado

[jonathan bidwell boitano (jonathan-bidwell)]

No, I didn't change anything... The directory /home/invitado doesn't exist.

jonathan@Masicora:~$ sudo /usr/sbin/adduser --gecos --disabled-password --home /home/invitado --gid 0 --shell /bin/bash --uid 1001 invitado
Adding user `invitado' ...
Adding new user `invitado' (1001) with group `root' ...
useradd: cannot lock /etc/gshadow; try again later.
adduser: `/usr/sbin/useradd -d /home/invitado -g root -s /bin/bash -u 1001 invitado' returned error code 10. Exiting.

There's no group called "invitado"...

jonathan@Masicora:~$ sudo addgroup --gid 1001 invitado
Adding group `invitado' (GID 1001) ...
groupadd: cannot lock /etc/gshadow; try again later.
addgroup: `/usr/sbin/groupadd -g 1001 invitado' returned error code 10. Exiting.

jonathan@Masicora:~$ sudo /usr/sbin/adduser --gecos --disabled-password --home /home/invitado --gid 1001 --shell /bin/bash --uid 1001 invitado

adduser: The GID 1001 does not exist.

[Milan Bouchet-Valat (nalimilan)]

OK, I see the problem. That's very similar to bug 432964. Check that there's a file called /etc/gshadow.lock, and possibly /etc/shadow.lock, /etc/passwd.lock too; if that's the case, remove them (no risk), and retry. The problem might come from a crash while using the guest session: do you remember such a situation?

If that fixes your issue, I'd still like to have a look at the '--gid 0' option that is used, which can really be a security risk. But I need to check the code and see what I can get here.

[cosmos (alantonop)]

I have a similar problem.I'm trying to create an account for the user sofoklis and i get the message below.I tried erasing the files described in post #8 but i always get the same message.The problem existed under Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic and also in 10.04 Lucid.

uname -a
Linux alexandros-desktop 2.6.32-16-generic #25-Ubuntu SMP Tue Mar 9 16:33:12 UTC 2010 x86_64 GNU/Linux

sudo adduser sofoklis
Adding user `sofoklis' ...
Adding new group `sofoklis' (1001) ...
Adding new user `sofoklis' (1001) with group `sofoklis' ...
useradd: cannot lock /etc/passwd; try again later.
adduser: `/usr/sbin/useradd -d /home/sofoklis -g sofoklis -s /bin/bash -u 1001 sofoklis' returned error code 1. Exiting.

[Milan Bouchet-Valat (nalimilan)]

Well, just have a look at bug 432964, but in short: remove the file /etc/passwd.lock, /etc/shadow.lock or /etc/gshadow.lock.

[Majed Aly (majed-aly)]

I had the same error while trying to install openssh. The error was related to /etc/group.lock when deleted, everything went OK with the installation. I remember having a crash couple of days ago which might have caused the lock.
Thanks