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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?

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29

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.

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    My 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
    Apr 9, 2013 at 6:50
  • 1
    Exactly. Having root access to the machine doesn't imply you have admin access to an LDAP, though.
    – dawud
    Apr 9, 2013 at 7:00

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