User Configuration Files

Any utility to manage a user, such as the Red Hat User Manager, makes use of certain default files, called configuration files, and directories to set up the new account. A set of pathnames is used to locate these default files or to indicate where to create certain user directories. For example, /etc/skel holds initialization files for a new user. A new user's home directory is created in the /home directory. Table 28-1 has a list of the pathnames.

Table 28-1: Paths for User Configuration Files
Directory and Files	Description
/home	Location of the user's own home directory.
/etc/skel	Holds the default initialization files for the login shell, such as .bash_profile, .bashrc, and .bash_logout. Includes many user setup directories and files such as .kde for KDE and Desktop for GNOME.
/etc/shells	Holds the login shells, such as BASH or TCSH.
/etc/passwd	Holds the password for a user.
/etc/group	Holds the group to which the user belongs.
/etc/shadow	Encrypted password file.
/etc/gshadow	Encrypted password file for groups.
/etc/login.defs	Default login definitions for users.

Tip

You can find out which users are currently logged in with the w or who commands. The w command displays detailed information about each connected user, such as from where they logged in and how long they have been inactive, and the date and time of login. The who command provides less detailed data.