GNU bug report logs - #76897
id improvements

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Nicolas Boos <nicolas.boos <at> wanadoo.fr>
To: bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org
Subject: id improvements
Date: Sun, 9 Mar 2025 18:53:58 +0100

Context:
$ cat /etc/passwd
nicolas:x:1000:2001::/home/nicolas:/bin/bash
claude:x:1000:2002::/home/claude:/bin/zsh
$ cat /etc/group
gnicolas:x:2001:
gclaude:x:2002:

Test case:
localhost login: claude
$ getent passwd claude 
claude::1000:2002::/home/claude:/bin/zsh
$ id claude
uid=1000(nicolas) gid=2002(gclaude) groups=2001(gnicolas)

groups is wrong, should be "groups=2002(gclaude)".

$ busybox id
uid=1000 gid=2002(gclaude) groups=2002(gclaude)

groups is correct with busybox.

Given the ouput of getent, it could be possible to display a better result:
uid=1000(claude) gid=2002(gclaude) groups=2002(gclaude)

NB

Message #8 received at 76897 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Collin Funk <collin.funk1 <at> gmail.com>
To: 76897 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#76897: id improvements
Date: Mon, 04 Aug 2025 20:21:31 -0700

Nicolas said:

> Context:
> $ cat /etc/passwd
> nicolas:x:1000:2001::/home/nicolas:/bin/bash
> claude:x:1000:2002::/home/claude:/bin/zsh
> $ cat /etc/group
> gnicolas:x:2001:
> gclaude:x:2002:
> 
> Test case:
> localhost login: claude
> $ getent passwd claude 
> claude::1000:2002::/home/claude:/bin/zsh
> $ id claude
> uid=1000(nicolas) gid=2002(gclaude) groups=2001(gnicolas)
> 
> groups is wrong, should be "groups=2002(gclaude)".
> 
> $ busybox id
> uid=1000 gid=2002(gclaude) groups=2002(gclaude)
> 
> groups is correct with busybox.
> 
> Given the ouput of getent, it could be possible to display a better result:
> uid=1000(claude) gid=2002(gclaude) groups=2002(gclaude)

Not really a bug, just a reason to avoid creating multiple users with
the same user-id.

See the following example:

    $ whoami
    root
    $ id claude
    uid=1000(nicolas) gid=2002(gclaude) groups=2001(gnicolas)
    $ busybox id claude
    uid=1000(nicolas) gid=2002(gclaude) groups=2002(gclaude)
    $ su claude
    $ id
    uid=1000(nicolas) gid=2002(gclaude) groups=2002(gclaude)
    $ busybox id
    uid=1000(nicolas) gid=2002(gclaude) groups=2002(gclaude)

One would expect that after logging into claude, id would print that
user name. But since nicolas shows up first in /etc/passwd that is what
we see.

Coreutils will then use the group id from the 'struct passwd' for
nicolas which is 2001(gnicolas) in this case. I think that busybox uses
the name passed to the command-line to call 'getgrouplist' which will
then return gclaude.

Collin

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