NAME    [Toc]    [Back]

     userdel - remove a user from the system

SYNOPSIS    [Toc]    [Back]

     userdel -D [-p preserve-value]
     userdel [-prv] user

DESCRIPTION    [Toc]    [Back]

     The userdel utility removes a user from the system,  optionally removing
     that user's home directory and any subdirectories.

     Default  values  are  taken from the information provided in
the
     /etc/usermgmt.conf file, which, if running as root, is  created using the
     built-in defaults if it does not exist.

     The  first form of the command shown above (using the -D option) sets and
     displays the defaults for the userdel utility.

     -D      without any further options, -D will show  the  current defaults
             which will be used by the userdel utility.  Together
with one of
             the options shown for the first version of the  command, -D will
             set the default to be the new value.

     -p preserve-value
             sets  the  preservation value.  If this value is one
of `true',
             `yes', or a non-zero number, then the user login information will
             be preserved.

     In  the  second  form  of the command, after setting any defaults, and then
     reading values from /etc/usermgmt.conf, the  following  command line options
 are processed:

     -p       preserve the user information in the password file,
but do not
             allow the user to login, by switching  the  password
to an
             ``impossible''  one, and by setting the user's shell
to the
             nologin(8) program.  This option can be  helpful  in
preserving a
             user's  files  for later use by members of that person's group after
 the user has moved on.  This value can  also  be
set in the
             /etc/usermgmt.conf file, using the `preserve' field.
If the
             field has any of the values `true', `yes', or a nonzero number,
             then  user information preservation will take place.

     -r      remove the user's home  directory,  any  subdirectories, and any
             files and other entries in them.

     -v      perform any actions in a verbose manner.

     Once   the  information  has  been  verified,  userdel  uses
pwd_mkdb(8) to update
 the user database.  This is run in the background, and,
at very
     large  sites  could take several minutes.  Until this update
is completed,
     the password file is unavailable for other updates  and  the
new information
 is not available to programs.

     The  userdel  utility exits 0 on success, and >0 if an error
occurs.

FILES    [Toc]    [Back]

     /etc/usermgmt.conf

SEE ALSO    [Toc]    [Back]

     passwd(5), usermgmt.conf(5), nologin(8), pwd_mkdb(8)

HISTORY    [Toc]    [Back]

     The userdel utility first appeared in OpenBSD 2.7.

AUTHORS    [Toc]    [Back]

     The userdel  utility  was  written  by  Alistair  G.  Crooks
<[email protected]>.

OpenBSD      3.6                        November     30,     1999