ACMAINT: An Account Creation and Maintenance System for Distributed UNIX Systems

ACMAINT is a network-based, centralized database system used to manage computer account creation and maintenance on the Purdue University Engineering Computer Network. ACMAINT allows the system administrator to perform account-related admintrative chores for any machine on the network from any attached system. Using ACMAINT, the system adminstrator can create new user accounts, add or delete accounts for existing users, change the global or per-account information associated with a user, place a message on a user’s account(s), and enable or disable a user’s account(s). Group information and mail aliases are managed in a similar fashion. ACMAINT utilizes a central database, stored on a single network machine, which contains a copy of all data under ACMAINT’s control. The system administrator makes changes to the database via a network server running on the database machine, which in turn makes changes around the network via the use of another network server which runs on each machine. Programs which read, but do not write, the standard UNIX system databases such as the password file do not need to be modified to work with ACMAINT. Programs which write the standard databases must be modified or rewritten to converse with the ACMAINT database server. ACMAINT operates transparently to the user, uses minimal network and system resources, and can be used with binary-only UNIX systems.