Puppet create user with password

Question

I need to create a user account in Linux (RedHat) with Password (for IBM MQ VM box) using Puppet.

Need to use the userid/password for connection for connecting to MQ server from a different server (Node.JS) amqps://userid:password@server:port. All automated with puppet as well.

Below is the process I followed.

1. Logged into a test machine. Created user id / password.
2. Picked up the hash from /etc/shadow
3. Used that in puppet code in password field passed to code (in single quotes).

Code used is below.

  $api_group = 'nonprivmq'
  $api_userid = 'mquser'
  $api_password = 'passwordhashpickedupfrometcshadow' (used single quotes)

  # setup group and user for publish / subscribe messages
  group { $api_group:
    ensure => 'present',
    gid    => '550',
  }

  # setup user
  user { $api_userid:
    ensure     => 'present',
    uid        => '550',
    gid        => '550',
    home       => "/home/${api_userid}",
    name       => $api_userid,
    password   => $api_password,
    managehome => yes,
    shell      => '/bin/bash',
    require    => Group[$api_group],
    before     => Exec['EnableAuth'],
  }

It is not working consistently in different machines. Works on ane VM and doesn't work in another VM.

I read the below link and tried the options listed. managing a user password for linux in puppet

Options tried: 1. use function shown in https://gist.github.com/pschyska/26002d5f8ee0da2a9ea0 2. using the openssl command to generate a password hash and use it in puppet. #openssl passwd -1

Both options didn't work.

When I manually login to the MQ server and change password, everything works fine. So it is proven that the password created is not what I intended to create.

Appreciate any assistance.

edlerd edlerd · Accepted Answer · 2016-03-04T22:22:13

uid 550 is already taken on target system
gid 550 is already taken on target system
target system uses a different password hashing algorithm (thus your hash is not accepted)

These are my three ideas what could go wrong.

Puppet create user with password

1 Answers