Thread: How to create multiple user account?

I found the link to create multiple user account by typing out all the account. But how to create using linux shell scripting if i want to create 50 account which are almost the same but only difference is the user number and some other number is different which is in running order?

Eg.
First user will have the following details:
Login name: user00
Password: pwd00
UID: 1000
GID: 123
Informational name: “Student Index 00”
Home directory: /home/SI00
Login shell: /bin/sh

the last user will have the following details:
Login name: user49
Password: pwd49
UID: 1049
GID: 123
Informational name: “Student Index 49”
Home directory: /home/SI49
Login shell: /bin/sh

You need to use newusers command and a text file with this info.
data.txt file

Code:

user00:pwd00:1000:123:Student Index 00:/home/SI00:/bin/sh
user01:pwd00:1001:123:Student Index 01:/home/SI01:/bin/sh
.....
...
..
user49:pwd49:1049:123:Student Index 49:/home/SI49:/bin/sh

Use following command to create above file:

Code:

for u in $(seq 00 05); do echo "user${u}:pwd${u}:$(expr 1000 + $u):123:Student Index ${u}:/home/SI${u}:/bin/sh"; done > data.txt

Run command

Code:

newusers data.txt

And you are done. more info @ my blog post: Linux: How to create multiple users accounts in batch | nixCraft

PS: If you are doing this first time, make a backup of all all password related files aka /etc/passwd, /etc/group, /etc/shadow and others

thank you.. lets say i wan to increase the user to say 80, which value should i change?

change seq parameters from 00 05 to 00 49

sorry, i dont really get the code.. how come when create 50 user is 00 05 and 80 user is 00 49? Can explain the code part by part?

Originally Posted by droidwork

sorry, i dont really get the code.. how come when create 50 user is 00 05 and 80 user is 00 49? Can explain the code part by part?

00-05 will create only 6 user from 00,01...05
00-49 wil create 50 users from 00,01,02..49

In short use

Code:

for u in $(seq 00 49); do echo "user${u}:pwd${u}:$(expr 1000 + $u):123:Student Index ${u}:/home/SI${u}:/bin/sh"; done > data.txt

somehow i cant get it to work.. it create only 1 funny account and not.. mayb can someone teach me step by step?

i write the code in vi data.txt.. then after :wq!, use newusers data.txt.. is this the right way?

Noop..

Login as root user

goto /tmp

Code:

cd /tmp

To create 00-49 user type command:

Code:

for u in $(seq 00 49); do echo "user${u}:pwd${u}:$(expr 1000 + $u):123:Student Index ${u}:/home/SI${u}:/bin/sh"; done > data.txt

Now you will see a file called data.txt. No need to create this file using vi text editor. It is genrated for you using above shell for loop.

Now just add new users

Code:

newuser data.txt

And you are done! Now user user1 can login with pwd1 and so on.

thank you very much.. anyway can tell me what does $(expr 1000 + $u): do? i know u is for the value.. and 1000 is the starting.. but what does expr for?

Originally Posted by droidwork

thank you very much.. anyway can tell me what does $(expr 1000 + $u): do? i know u is for the value.. and 1000 is the starting.. but what does expr for?

Use to evaluate expressions such as expr 1 + 2 = 3

ARG1 + ARG2 arithmetic sum of ARG1 and ARG2

If $u=2, expr 1000 + ${u} = 1002

Read man page of expr for upto-date information.