users not found in /etc/passwd

I login to a linux box with username user1 and my home folder is in /home. There is another user named user2 that has its home directory in /opt/data/folder.

If I want to check the list of users I inspect the file /etc/passwd in this simple way

grep user1 /etc/passwd
grep user2 /etc/passwd

I cannot find neither my user, not the other: Why is that? Is there any other file or command I should look to have a proper list of users?

Abruzzo Forte e Gentile

Posted 2013-04-09T05:42:35.557

Reputation: 1 415

Answers

That is because the users database is stored elsewhere, for example an LDAP. Use getent passwd $USER to resolve your user. Make sure you read nsswitch.conf(5) with command man nsswitch.conf to understand how and where can be users (and some other) databases stored.

dawud

Posted 2013-04-09T05:42:35.557

Reputation: 1 305

1My intention was to change the password of that user (via root) on that machine but it looks like I have to gather more information; seems that the user has not been added by doing the usual useradd , isn'it? – Abruzzo Forte e Gentile – 2013-04-09T06:50:53.493

1Exactly. Having root access to the machine doesn't imply you have admin access to an LDAP, though. – dawud – 2013-04-09T07:00:22.777