[OE-core] [PATCH 1/1] image.bbclass: add a method to add/delete/modify user/group settings

[Mark Hatle]

On 7/8/13 12:27 PM, Martin Jansa wrote:
> On Mon, Jul 08, 2013 at 12:15:40PM -0500, Mark Hatle wrote:
>> On 7/5/13 3:39 AM, Martin Jansa wrote:
>>> On Fri, Jul 05, 2013 at 02:07:28PM +0800, Qi.Chen at windriver.com wrote:
>>>> From: Chen Qi <Qi.Chen at windriver.com>
>>>>
>>>> We may want to add a user or group which does not logically belong to
>>>> any specific package. For example, we may want to add a user with the
>>>> name 'tester' to our image. Besides, we may want to delete or modify
>>>> user/group in our image.
>>>>
>>>> This patch adds a variable, USER_GROUP_SETTINGS, which is dedicated
>>>> to these tasks. The configuration format is detailed in the local.conf.
>>>> sample.extended file.
>>>>
>>>> This patch also adds a function, set_user_group, which happens at
>>>> the end of the ROOTFS_POSTPROCESS_COMMAND. It handles the settings
>>>> in the USER_GROUP_SETTINGS variable.
>>>
>>> Why not use extra package just with user?
>>>
>>> See "[PATCH v3 0/5] Allow xuser to shutdown (cover letter only)"
>>
>> The issue is that the users don't want extra (empty) packages to just add
>> standard users/groups.  What they want is a post image-generation
>> "configuration" mechanism.
>>
>> Adding users/groups is one of the basic items that they want/need.  This really
>> has to be considered to be an administrative activity vs a distribution
>> activity.  (I.e. difference between creating a package and performing some kind
>> of post-image action.)
>>
>> The other issue with a package based approach is it then mandates changes occur
>> by having to rebuild/reinstall packages.  This is onerous in my experience, for
>> something basic like this.  It's really outside of the package manager's control.
>
> We can have all users in one package
> base-users (like we have base-files)
>
> It can allow someone to just define DEFAULT_USERS = "a b c" in
> local.conf and let base-users recipe to create all 3 automatically.
>
> Post image-generation mechanism doesn't allow to add new required users
> in "upgrade" or installing packages from binary feed with all required
> users accounts.
>

That is exactly it..  these are not users that will -ever- be upgraded or worked 
on via packages.

This is equivalent to saying "I'd like users bob, tracy and alice on this image 
I'm generating."

It's NOT saying, all systems generated with this package feed will include bob, 
tracy and alice.

If the user wants to add john, after the initial image is generated, they would 
do so using the adduser functionality of the system (or modifying the 
passwd/group files.)

The fundamental problem is that the package feeds and district from the image 
itself.  The image is nothing more then an installer that happens to be running 
on the build machine itself.  Things that are part of the distribution belong in 
the feed, things that are instance/image specific belong as part of the 
installation process.

--Mark