From: ian <ian>
Date: Mon, 20 Sep 1999 16:05:30 +0000 (+0000)
Subject: Files found and checked in.
X-Git-Tag: branchpoint-1996-06-19-retrospective-beforeuserv~14
X-Git-Url: http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/ucgi/~ian/git?p=userv-utils.git;a=commitdiff_plain;h=7bda915468a0bc7a7f301cd3df75bc96d070e195

Files found and checked in.
---

diff --git a/groupmanage/groupmanage.text b/groupmanage/groupmanage.text
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..14bb491
--- /dev/null
+++ b/groupmanage/groupmanage.text
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+groupmanage(1) and user-administered groups
+-------------------------------------------
+
+There is a program `groupmanage' installed on chiark, with which users
+can create their own groups and change their group membership.
+
+For a synopsis of its usage, type `groupmanage'.
+
+Each group managed by groupmanage has an entry in /etc/grouplist as
+well as in /etc/group.  This contains the administrative information
+which controls who may do what to the group.
+
+Each group has a single owner user.  The owner and managers are
+allowed to add and delete managers and members; only the owner may
+change the group title.  Note that being a manager doesn't
+automatically make you a member of a group - you must use
+groupmanage --add to do that, and then log in again to ensure that the
+new membership affects your session.
+
+There are some restrictions on groups created by users without my
+intervention: the group name must have the form
+<username>-<groupname>, except that if <username> is more than 4
+characters only the first 4 need be given.  All groups created by a
+user have that user's name in the title.  Any one user may not create
+more than 5 groups for themselves.
+
+All group names must be less than 8 characters long, and a group once
+created can not easily be deleted (though it can be renamed with my
+assistance).
+
+For more formal groups (for example, those corresponding to particular
+organisations, or which interact with system software eg mail
+delivery) I will usually create a the group myself on request (and
+need not heed these restrictions), and will often also create a home
+directory for shared files.
+
+When working with shared files, you should not remove (and should
+reinstate, if necessary) the setgid bit on the shared directories, and
+leave your umask set to allow group write (the default is 002).
+You'll then find that you're able to work in group filespace areas
+without having to ask other users to chmod files, or having to type
+incantations to switch between working on shared files and your
+personal files.
+
+ -- iwj 19.08.1998