Restricting login

[linux_neophyte]

I need to create a number of user accounts to facilitate email access but I
do not want to allow the users to be able to logon to the server. How do I
do this?

Thanks.

[WeDeliver]

From how I understand it, they will have to be a user on the system. You could limit them severely in rights only allowing them access to the email program though...I guess....

[X_console]

How do you plan to get them to use email without having them login to the server? Are they using a web based email or something?

To disable logins, just open up /etc/passwd and put a "*" in front of their login name. So for instance, if the user I want to block is:

smith:x:1000:100:Jon Smith,,,:/home/smith:/bin/bash

Then I would modify the /etc/passwd entry to:

*smith:x:1000:100:Jon Smith,,,:/home/smith:/bin/bash

[linux_neophyte]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by X_console:
[QB]How do you plan to get them to use email without having them login to the server? Are they using a web based email or something?

Sorry for the confusion. I only want to restrict their access rights to /POPONLY. Which I have learned can be implemeneted as a shell parameter. However there seem to be some significant security implications if not done correctly. Any suggestions?

[Jason Deraleau]

Add them like you normally would, and then open up your /etc/passwd file.

here is an example of an entry.

nobody:x:65534:65534:nobody:/home:/bin/sh

now, if you change /bin/sh to /bin/false, they won't be able to login to a shell, but there UN/PW are still easily configured for a POP server.

JD

[Urko]

You may also want to look at bash -r or rbash
which are restricted versions of the shell.