CYGWIN - As admin setup other users SSH for them?

Warren Young warren@etr-usa.com
Thu Jun 5 07:46:00 GMT 2014


On 6/4/2014 16:05, Roger Vicker, CCP wrote:
> 3) deliver the private key to the user along with the rest of the
> instructions on how to use it in the provided apps.

How were you planning on delivering these sensitive private keys?  Via 
insecure email, perhaps?

Use ssh as it was designed: have the users generate their own local 
keypairs, and have them email the public key to you.  The words we use 
here mean something.  The *public* key goes out over the public link, 
and the *private* key stays at home.

It's not like the commands are difficult.  They set up a local Cygwin, 
add the openssh package, then say:

     $ ssh-keygen
     ...press Enter a bunch of times...
     $ cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub > /dev/clipboard
     ...compose email to rvicker, paste

> With out their passwords I can't login to establish their $home
> directory structure,

Take a look at /etc/profile, starting at line 75.  See the stuff about 
/etc/skel?  That's how the user's home directory gets set up.  Nothing 
magic here.  You could cut those couple-dozen lines into a new script 
and tweak it for your purposes.

The only trick is that if you do all this as administrator, you'll have 
to say something like

     # chown -R otheruser.otheruser ~otheruser

after you get done setting up the user's home directory.

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