ZFS adduser in 14.1 adds ZFS dataset : zroot/home/username

[Ome Ko]

Dear freebsdesians,

I upgraded to 14.1 using the netdisk and I encountered some unexpected issues while adding and removing users.

adduser doesn't ask to add a zsf dataset for your users, it just adds.
rmuser doesn't remove the dataset, so the user remains in etc/passwd (you can't add a user with the same name without running zfs destroy zroot/home/username).

I may be a bit behind on RingTFM, but wouldn't it be nice to ask if you want a separate dataset if you add a user, just as you're being asked about the home directory (that rmuser asks if it should be removed too)?

 

[patmaddox]

I may be a bit behind on RingTFM

Yep

From adduser(8):

-Z Do not attempt to create ZFS home dataset.

 

[Ome Ko]

LOL. Great. Works for me.

[I prefer optout anytime over optin, BTW]

 

[Emrion]

rmuser doesn't remove the dataset, so the user remains in etc/passwd (you can't add a user with the same name without running zfs destroy zroot/home/username).

I think this is a bug. But, conversely at what you state, the removed user doesn't remain in /etc/passwd.

If you answer 'yes' to this :

Remove user's home directory (/home/user)?

rmuser MUST destroy the corresponding dataset.

 

[Erichans]

[I prefer optout anytime over optin, BTW]

Besides the -Z flag of adduser(8), adduser.conf(5) has an option for this too:

Zflag	    Do not attempt to create ZFS home dataset.

I think this is a bug.

There are more sides to this: Add options to allow adduser(8) to create ZFS datasets for each new user

 

[Emrion]

There are more sides to this: Add options to allow adduser(8) to create ZFS datasets for each new user

I see, but it's nevertheless a bug. A fix to this must be found. Even with the participation of adduser to write somewhere what is the id of the dataset for each user.

There is a or several solutions. "I can't" isn't audible.

And, frankly, if it's too complex, FreeBSD should reverse this change in adduser. Who asked that by the way?

 

[Ome Ko]

I think this is a bug. But, conversely at what you state, the removed user doesn't remain in /etc/passwd.

If you answer 'yes' to this :

rmuser MUST destroy the corresponding dataset.

If I remember correctly I kept the /home-dir for that user running rmuser.
So if you keep the homedir you still keep the user since the zfs-dataset is not removed.

The mixup of mountpoints and usermanagement seems to break the rmuser function in this case.

 

[Ome Ko]

During installation of the operating system you're asked if you want to add a user. which you usually want, because you need someone in wheel.
There's no option here to avoid being mounted on this user's homedir.

It's from here all sorts of conundrums followed, including having to cycle to the datacentre (it's a dutch server).

 

[mer]

If I remember correctly I kept the /home-dir for that user running rmuser.
So if you keep the homedir you still keep the user since the zfs-dataset is not removed.

The mixup of mountpoints and usermanagement seems to break the rmuser function in this case.

Keeping the home-dir for the user on a UFS I think gets rid of the user in /etc/passwd and related but the physical directory is kept.
ZFS, the mount point is a property of the dataset for the user, so keeping the home-dir for the user should logically keep the dataset (and corresponding mount point property) but should get rid of the user in /etc/passwd and related.
Is that what is happening?
If so, I think the behavior is consistent in rmuser when you do not say "yes" to removing user home-dir.
Now if on ZFS you say "yes" to remove user /home-dir the dataset should also get removed, just like on UFS the directory should get removed.
Is that what happens?
The only thing that may be interesting is the manpage for rmuser states "...removes user's home directory if it is owned by the user...". So is the user dataset owned by the user? That could be the question.

 

[Ome Ko]

Just to check I installed 14.1 on an old PC. I was wrong; the misunderstanding resulting from a premature terminated ssh-connection earlier. I totally forgot I was logged in as the user I was trying to remove.
When removing a user and keeping the home dir the user is removed from /etc/passwd as he/she should be.

Sorry for the stir, guys (and gals).

I do still think automatic mounting of homedirs isn't the greatest innovation ever seen in FreeBSD-history.

 

[CyberCr33p]

This behaviour changed to 13.4 too.