Bug#1145184: debian-edu-config: user not created

Mike Gabriel <[email protected]> Wed, 26 Aug 2026 15:56:44 +0000
Newsgroups	gmane.linux.debian.devel.education
Organization	DAS-NETZWERKTEAM
Message-ID	<20260826155644.Horde.LwE91KM84rtyDx3PBSDuvRn__41306.0712091223$1787759970$gmane$org@mail.das-netzwerkteam.de>
Hi Roland,

On  So 23 Aug 2026 17:28:33 CEST, Roland Clobus wrote:

> Package: debian-edu-config
> Version: 2.13.0
> Severity: important
> User: [email protected]
> Usertags: debian-edu
>
> Hi,
>
> I'm installing the default server configuration. The user  
> ('user1234', password
> 'secret_1234') does not get created in the installer. According to the Wiki
> [1], this is a very important user. See the automated results in openQA [2].
> The openQA setup uses ('testy', 'weakpassword')
>
> Before the installer reboots, I've opened a shell to do some diagnostics.
>
> `/usr/bin/user-setup-apply /target` is called to set up the users.
>
> The root user was been created correctly.
>
> In /target: there is no reference to the user in /target/etc/group,
> /target/etc/passwd, /target/home.
>
> I've enabled some debugging in user-setup-apply (set -x) to look that the
> issue.
>
> `db_get passwd/make_user` returns 'boolean false' instead of 'true', which is
> suspect
>
> I then forced some variables, to try to force the creation of the user:
> ```
> db_set passwd/make-user 'true'
> db_set passwd/username 'user1234'
> db_set passwd/user-password 'secret_1234'
> db_set passwd/user-password-again 'secret_1234'
> db_set passwd/user-fullname 'Test user'
> ```
>
> Side-note: the function 'is_system_user' really checks whether a non-system
> user account exists (i.e. a UID in the range 1000-59999 in  
> /target/etc/passwd)
>
> After re-running `user-setup-apply /target`, the user is created without a
> password and has a home directory. However upon the attempt to set the
> password:
> ```
> + setpassword test1234 secret_1234 false
> ...
> + chroot /target chpasswd
> chpasswd: (user test1234) pam_chauthok() failed, error:
> Authentication token manipulation error
> chpasswd: (line 1, user test1234) password not changed
> ```
>
> `echo "root:newpwd" | chpasswd` works.
>
> I looked a bit at the strace output, the first entry for /dev/log mentions
> 'pam_edu_nopw', whereas for test1234 it has 'chpasswd'.
>
> With kind regards,
> Roland Clobus
>
> [1] https://wiki.debian.org/DebianEdu/Documentation/Trixie/Installation
> [2] https://openqa.debian.net/tests/563978

While the observation is correct, there is a misunderstanding of the  
concept of a Debian Edu main server installation.

The classical POSIX user that D-I creates normally is not created on  
Debian Edu system (except from the standalong workstation installation).

The initial user is created only for TJENER, but not in /etc/passwd &  
friends but in LDAP.

So, if you run getent passwd on a rebootet main server, you should  
find that initial user.

Please see  
https://salsa.debian.org/debian-edu/debian-edu-config/-/blob/master/ldap-tools/ldap-debian-edu-install?ref_type=heads to read the full post-package-install story happening at the end of a Debian Edu mainserver D-I installation  
run.

I guess, this bug can be closed then? (If so, please do. Otherwise,  
provide more feedback / thoughts).

Mike
-- 

mike gabriel aka sunweaver (Debian Developer)
mobile: +49 (1520) 1976 148
landline: +49 (4351) 486 14 27

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