Solved pw: can't add numeric user name

[Raf]

Hi Forum,

I use numeric only user names like "123456". Before FreeBSD10.2-release iI could add such users without any problems. But on FreeBSD 10.2-RELEASE, pw won't add numeric user names saying:

# pw adduser 123
pw: login name required

Is it a bug? Thanks in advance for help.

 

[tobik@]

You can still use pw adduser -n 123

 

[usdmatt]

It seems like it's something to do with changes to the way the name/uid are handled. Seems like a bug to me though. Even the documentation doesn't seem to make much sense.

On CURRENT I get the same error, unless I use -n

# pw useradd 123
pw: login name required
# pw useradd -n 123
#
# pw userdel 123
pw: no such uid `123'
# pw userdel -n 123
#

It seems it's interpreting it as a UID unless you specifically tell it it's a login name using -n.

Documentation for 10.2 shows the following, in which case you could understand it treating a number as a UID.

pw useradd [name|uid]

However on 11, the documentation has changed to the following, which suggests pw useradd 123 'should' work, as you need to use -u for the UID, but it still functions the same as 10.2:

pw useradd [-n] name [-u uid]

All in all, seems a bit of a mess. I don't know why they can't just stuck to using -u, and only that, if you want to specify the UID.

 

[Raf]

In my case it has the same effect [FreeBSD 10.2-RELEASE]:

pw adduser -n 123
pw: login name required

 

[tobik@]

I tried, but it has the same effect:

pw adduser -n 123
pw: login name required

That's odd. It works for me. I tested it before posting. I'm on FreeBSD 10.2-RELEASE-p7.

 

[usdmatt]

Hmm, same as tobik here. Maybe it's been fixed by an update as I've used freebsd-update() recently.

# uname -r
10.2-RELEASE
# pw adduser 123
pw: login name required
# pw adduser -n 123
#

 

[Raf]

Thanks for your answers. I'm on

# uname -a
10.2-RELEASE FreeBSD 10.2-RELEASE #0 r286666: Wed Aug 12 15:26:37 UTC 2015     root@releng1.nyi.freebsd.org:/usr/obj/usr/src/sys/GENERIC  amd64

 

[usdmatt]

Looks like it was fixed in 10.2-RELEASE-p3
https://www.freebsd.org/security/advisories/FreeBSD-EN-15:16.pw.asc

(Although you seem to have the exact same revision as me)

 

[tobik@]

Update! There has been an Errata Notice for this: https://www.freebsd.org/security/advisories/FreeBSD-EN-15:16.pw.asc

 

[Raf]

Thanks everybody for prompt responses. I'll try to apply this patch on my system and post the result here.

 

[Raf]

# freebsd-update fetch
# freebsd-update install

solved the problem. Thanks!

 

[Raf]

Adding numeric logins runs smoothly after update, but locking numerical logins still fails with error:

# pw adduser 123

pw: login name required

# pw adduser -n 123
# pw lock 123

pw: no such uid `123'

# pw lock -n 123

pw: illegal option -- n
pw: unknown switch

 

[tobik@]

I think you better file a bug report. I am really confused if numeric user names are even properly supported. chown(1) explicitly mentions supporting them, but pw(8) does not AFAICT. Would be nice to have a quote from a developer if it is or is not supported.

In the meantime you can use vipw(8) and prefix the password hash with *LOCKED* to lock accounts (see passwd(5)).

 

[junovitch@]

It looks like this was just addressed in commit https://svnweb.FreeBSD.org/changeset/base/291657 as part of work on PR 204968. Raf, thanks for reporting the bug!

 

[Raf]

It looks like this was just addressed in commit https://svnweb.FreeBSD.org/changeset/base/291657 as part of work on PR 204968. Raf, thanks for reporting the bug!

Yes, thanks to developers for promnt response. After building a new pw from source with new pw_user.c pw lock with numeric only logins works as expected.

Thanks all for help!