Install web server 7U5 on Mandriva - runtime user id does not exists error

Question

Hi,
I'm trying to install Sun Web Server 7 update 5 on Mandriva 2009 but the installation process stucks on the step where the Runtime User ID must be entered. It says that the root account doesn't exists which obviously it does. It happens both on GUI and console installs and there isn't an error nowhere, I suppose that the routine on the installer that it's used to verify the user fails on Mandriva but without an error or something I can't figure out why it's failing and try to woekaround it.
Has anyone had a similar issue while installing sun web server ?

Answer 1

Looking a little at this problem, I can see that both useradd commands are very similar, both distros have almost the same version and the main differences between them is that Red Hat useradd has an extra option for SE Linux which Mandriva doesn't use:
Red Hat useradd version (CentOS equivalent):
[root@demo ~]# rpm -qf `which useradd`
shadow-utils-4.0.17-13.el5
Red Hat useradd options:
-b, --base-dir BASE_DIR       base directory for the new user account
home directory
-c, --comment COMMENT         set the GECOS field for the new user account
-d, --home-dir HOME_DIR       home directory for the new user account
-D, --defaults                print or save modified default useradd
configuration
-e, --expiredate EXPIRE_DATE  set account expiration date to EXPIRE_DATE
-f, --inactive INACTIVE       set password inactive after expiration
to INACTIVE
-g, --gid GROUP               force use GROUP for the new user account
-G, --groups GROUPS           list of supplementary groups for the new
user account
-h, --help                    display this help message and exit
-k, --skel SKEL_DIR           specify an alternative skel directory
-K, --key KEY=VALUE           overrides /etc/login.defs defaults
-m, --create-home             create home directory for the new user
account
-l,                       do not add user to lastlog database file
-M, do not create user's home directory(overrides /etc/login.defs)
-r, create system account
-o, --non-unique              allow create user with duplicate
(non-unique) UID
-p, --password PASSWORD       use encrypted password for the new user
account
-s, --shell SHELL             the login shell for the new user account
-u, --uid UID                 force use the UID for the new user account
*-Z, --selinux-user SEUSER     use a specific SEUSER for the SELinux user mapping*
Mandriva useradd version:
[root@localhost juancho]# rpm -qf `which useradd`
shadow-utils-4.0.12-19mdv2009.1
Mandriva useradd options:
-b, --base-dir BASE_DIR       base directory for the new user account
home directory
-c, --comment COMMENT         set the GECOS field for the new user account
-d, --home-dir HOME_DIR       home directory for the new user account
-D, --defaults                print or save modified default useradd
configuration
-e, --expiredate EXPIRE_DATE  set account expiration date to EXPIRE_DATE
-f, --inactive INACTIVE       set password inactive after expiration
to INACTIVE
-g, --gid GROUP               force use GROUP for the new user account
-G, --groups GROUPS           list of supplementary groups for the new
user account
-h, --help                    display this help message and exit
-k, --skel SKEL_DIR           specify an alternative skel directory
-K, --key KEY=VALUE           overrides /etc/login.defs defaults
-m, --create-home             create home directory for the new user
account
-M, do not create home directory for the new user
-n,                   do NOT create a group with the same name
as the user
-o, --non-unique              allow create user with duplicate
(non-unique) UID
-p, --password PASSWORD       use encrypted password for the new user
account
-r create a system account
-s, --shell SHELL             the login shell for the new user account
-u, --uid UID                 force use the UID for the new user account
If the problem lies in one of the extra options that Red Hat includes because it has a newer version of shadowutils package I could try to help upgrade it to a newest version as I'm somewhat involved in the Mandriva development community, but seeing that most of the options between the two versions are almost the same I think the problem lies somewhere else. Also taking into account that the installation as a non root user also fails with the same error, that would make me think that the problem isn't when trying to create a new user but when trying to check it's existence on the system.