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Using NetInfo on Mac OS X

Possible Update

No netinfo in Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)? More details

Mac OS X uses the NetInfo system for storing directory information about system resources, including users. Therefore, to perform basic system administration tasks, you must use the NetInfo system instead of more traditional *nix administrative utilities.

Create a New User

This procedure was adapted from Apple documentation and other readings on NetInfo for Mac OS X:

1. Create a new entry in the local (/) domain under the category /users

   niutil -create / /users/<username>

2. Set the user's basic account properties (UID, default group ID, shell, home directory, and real name)

   niutil -createprop / /users/<username> uid <uid>
   niutil -createprop / /users/<username> gid <uid>
   niutil -createprop / /users/<username> shell /bin/bash
   niutil -createprop / /users/<username> home /Users/<username>
   niutil -createprop / /users/<username> realname "User Name"

3. Create a group matching the user's name

   niutil -create / /groups/<username>
   niutil -createprop / /groups/<username> gid <uid>
   niutil -createprop / /groups/<username> users <username>

4. Create the user's home directory

   mkdir -p /Users/<username>
   chown <username>:<username> /Users/<username>

5. Set the user's password

   niutil -createprop / /users/<username> _shadow_passwd
   passwd <username>

6. If appropriate, add the user to the admin group

   niutil -appendprop / /groups/admin users <username>