Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!ittvax!dcdwest!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!hplabs!sri-unix!HEDRICK@RUTGERS.ARPA From: HEDRICK@RUTGERS.ARPA Newsgroups: net.unix Subject: how do you handle multiple accounts? Message-ID: <1460@sri-arpa.UUCP> Date: Fri, 29-Jun-84 15:46:47 EDT Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.1460 Posted: Fri Jun 29 15:46:47 1984 Date-Received: Sun, 8-Jul-84 08:50:01 EDT Lines: 41 From: Charles Hedrick We have a Pyramid Unix system which will be populated mostly by students doing coursework. A given student may be taking more than one course. We would like to be able to know how much time each course is using (so we can sit on faculty who give unreasonable assignments). On the DEC-20, there are three separate object: users directories accounts Each student has his own userid and directory. Each course has an account. When a student logs in, he specifies both. We are not so naive as to believe we can get entirely accurate data from students on which project they are working on, but the results seem fairly reasonable. As far as I can see, Unix does not have anything like an account. We are considering two approaches. I wonder whether anyone has a better idea, or sees any problems with these approaches: 1) add account strings to Unix: Will involve modifying LOGIN to ask for an account, somebody (the shell?) to remember which was specified, and whoever writes the WTMP file at logout to add an account field to WTMP. Then of course every program that plays with WTMP, and all the accounting software, must be changed to know about the account. 2) encode it in the user name. If Smith is registered for courses 431 and 510, the password file will contain smith:*:123:1000:John Smith:/usr/smith 431.sss::123:431:John Smith:/usr/smith 510.sss::123:510:John Smith:/usr/smith Where sss are his initials. The idea is that he will log in by using his course and initials, but the directory and mail will all use the real name. As all incarnations of a user have the same uid, he will have access to all files at all times. We will have to modify MAIL to that all incarnations of a user read the main mail file. That's the only change I see so far, except to the program that prints our final usage reports. -------