Homework & Coursework Questions

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1. The problem statement, all variables and given/known data:
type deadusers to show dead accounts and includes a count at the end.



2. Relevant commands, code, scripts, algorithms:

I am new to this



3. The attempts at a solution (include all code and scripts):

Wouldn't it be similar to creating a shell script to find directories?

in VI text editor I typed

find . -type d -print
chmod u+x sd
exit

type ./sd
sd to show directories



4. Complete Name of School (University), City (State), Country, Name of Professor, and Course Number (Link to Course):

UMass Dartmouth, MA , CIS 121 Vinod Vokksarne.

Hi JA50,

Your show directories script is looking pretty good, and is the right approach to creating shell scripts in general. But in your case, you are trying to write something rather different as it's not directories you are looking for, and you need to keep count of the number of dead accounts you find as you go to display at the end.

The first question you should probably answer is how you would go about determining if an account is dead, forgetting entirely about writing a script to do it and just thinking about the process your follow if you were checking one account yourself.

Once you can find the right steps to take in unix, then decide how best to script it.

I agree,
Did your teacher give a definition of what he calls dead user?
It is important in the way you look for them...Some admins have for rule to not rmove home directories and give a specific UID or leave the account unchanged, looking at the directory above $HOME would show them as directories with UIDs rather than names...
But it could be accounts not used by users, just to give ownereship to an application ot some software, yet it could be also accounts where user did not connect for so long ( but how long?)...