Create a script that would automate adding users. The script SHOULD NOT use the functionality "useradd" that comes with the system, to create users. Each user should be added manually Creating the password should also be incorporated in the script. That means, when you call the script to create a user, you also give it the password value, and then, your script will create the user and also create the password without prompting you for anything. Ex: Assume the name of your script is create_users . Then the following command: ./create_users smith 1001 120 initpassvalue "Alex Smith" /home/smith /bin/bash ./create_users username uid gid initial_password user_information home_directory default_shell will create a user named smith, with UID 101, add to primary group 120, home directory /home/smith, information about the account being "Alex Smith", with the bash shell as the default login shell and with the initial password set to initpassvalue. A .profile file and a .login file should automatically be copied into the home directory, every time a user is created. The system will incorporate the shadow password file. The password should automatically have the default values for the following: passwd length should be at least 8 characters The password should be valid for 3 months Can anyone provide any clues or hints for me?

Just curious. Why do you want this? I mean useradd is basicly what you ask. You can give it all that and it does what you want.

users cannot be added unless useradd is called. what you want is to ease the process of building the arguments to useradd's options. just read the name, password, shell, whatever into variables and plug them into the big command at the end. piece of cake.