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Chapter 3. Installing Red Hat Linux

Tip

To change your user account configuration after you have completed the installation, use the User

Manager.

Type the redhat config users command in a shell prompt to launch the User Manager. If you are

not root, it will prompt you for the root password to continue.

3.26. Authentication Configuration

If you are performing a personal desktop, workstation or server installation, please skip ahead to

Section 3.27.

You may skip this section if you will not be setting up network passwords. If you do not know whether

you should do this, please ask your system administrator for assistance.

Unless you are setting up NIS authentication, you will notice that only MD5 and shadow passwords

are selected (see Figure 3 24). We recommend you use both to make your machine as secure as

possible.

To configure the NIS option, you must be connected to an NIS network. If you are not sure whether

you are connected to an NIS network, please ask your system administrator.

Figure 3 24. Authentication Configuration

Enable MD5 passwords   allows a long password to be used (up to 256 characters), instead of

the standard eight characters or less.

Enable shadow passwords   provides a secure method for retaining passwords. The passwords

are stored in

/etc/shadow

, which can only be read by root.

Enable NIS   allows you to run a group of computers in the same Network Information Service

domain with a common password and group file. You can choose from the following options: