create the home directory if it does not exist. This change of the PAM 

configuration file has to be done once when the Linux client  master  is created.

Red Hat Desktop

On Red Hat systems the pam_mkhomedir module is added to 

/etc/pam.d/system auth. This way the home directory will be created when a user 

logs in through a login (for example, a terminal prompt), a secure shell session, 

or a graphical logon. 

The line that is to be added to the file is shown in Example 7 10.

Example 7 10   Example of part of the /etc/pam.d/system auth file, including pam_mkhomedir

#%PAM 1.0

# This file is auto generated.

# User changes will be destroyed the next time authconfig is run.

auth required /lib/security/$ISA/pam_env.so

auth 

sufficient 

/lib/security/$ISA/pam_unix.so likeauth nullok

auth

sufficient /lib/security/$ISA/pam_winbind.so 

use_first_pass

auth

sufficient /lib/security/$ISA/pam_krb5.so 

use_first_pass

auth

sufficient /lib/security/$ISA/pam_smb_auth.so 

use_first_pass 

nolocal

auth

required /lib/security/$ISA/pam_deny.so

account

required /lib/security/$ISA/pam_unix.so

account sufficient

/lib/security/$ISA/pam_winbind.so

........................

session

optional

/lib/security/$ISA/pam_mkhomedir skel=/etc/skel umask=0022

The skel option tells the module where to get the skeleton files to copy to the 

newly created home directory. The umask governs the creation and subsequent 

permission settings on the directory.

Novell Linux Desktop

Since NLD does not use system auth and pam_stack.so, a pam_mkhomedir.so 

has to be added to every configuration file for applications that let users log on. 

Examples of these applications are ssh, telnet, gdm, xdm, and login. The first 

login of every domain user through any of these applications will create the home 

directory.

The line that is added to the file is of the form:

session  optional pam_mkhomedir skel=/etc/skell umask=0022

An example for the ssh application is given in Example 7 11 on page 143.

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Linux Client Migration Cookbook   A Practical Planning and Implementation Guide for Migrating to Desktop