🚀 go-pugleaf

> Account Deletion is a beast I haven't really tackled yet. It's
> pending....

Couple problems here:
  1.  If you do delete accounts, you want to modify the nu script to not
fill in holes in the passwd file.  As set up now, if you delete user 221,
then next time nu runs it will create user 221.  This is a major headache
for accounting.
  2.  Suitable notice should be given.  I bet there is a legal liability to
arbitrarily shutting down an account.
  3.  If there are ways that people can extend account life, then you have
to watch for turning off an account, and having the person come in the next
day...  Human nature, sure, but you can make it easier for yourself by taking
an account down by stages.
  a.  Disable the account.  (Prepend a * in the passwd field)  Modify
login so that it brings up a panel saying, "Your account has expired.  
Please See kdfkdlsa;djf if you wish to reactivate it."
  b.  Move account to tape.  Keep a special series of tapes for retiring
accounts.
  c.  Remove the acccount from the machine.

Note also, that any university will have problems recycling a global account
space in that UID's are short ints.  Max of 32 thousand.  On most campuses
this would mean that the accounts would have to recycle after only a year
of not being used.
--
=> Sherwood Botsford                   sherwood@space.ualberta.ca <= 
=> University of Alberta         Lab Manager, Space Physics Group <=         
=> tel:403 492-3713                             fax: 403 492-4256 <=