migrating 300 users from old to new install

[IWBCMAN]

I am re-implementing a ltsp server w/ 300 users. I have ~300 directories under home and I need to recursively enter and copy personal files into a new home directory structure on a fresh install. I also need to transfer pam passwords and shadow for each of these users(using adduser and pwconvert).

I know I can do this stuff manually- one user and one directory at a time. But perhaps one of the gifted BASH gods could come to my resuce and give me a few command line examples which would illustrate how one can cd into a directory, copy files w/ specific exentions(ie. .swx), preserving permissions, to a new directory-recursively-running through all sub directories in one shot......

I know BASH has variables with which one can use the output of one command as the input of another-but BASH defies me, I have yet to grasp the essence of scripting,being stuck in the stone-age of super simple scripts(ie. without recursion, variables etc)

my dream would look like this :
for "sub" in "home"; do: cd "sub"; mkdir /newdrive/newhome/"(new)sub"; cp -ax *.sxw/*.mpg/*.pdf/*.doc/*.avi/*.txt/*.xls (to) /newdrive/newhome/"(new)sub";

I don't actually want to copy the entire directories over-just the documents......


Any help would really be appreciated.....

[grooveman]

Ok.

I have never used pwconvert. You are on your own there.

I don't think this will need to be as verbose as you are thinking.

Try this:

First, make your new home directory, nfsmount it or whatever you need to do.

then execute this:
find /home/ -name "*.doc" -exec cp -pPvf {} /new_root_dir \;

Let it do its work, and I think you will be pleased. Then execute it again, but change the "*.doc" to "*.sxw" or whatever file extension you are concerned with. Do that until you get everything you need. Yes, you could script this with looping and the whole bit, but I don't think it will be worth your time since it is pretty much a one-shot deal. If you need to run it unattended, then just write a script putting that command on each line, chaning the "*.xxx" for each corresponding file type. It is not pretty, but it is quick and easy with vi.

It should retain ownerships and perms. It will overwrite any files or directories with identical names in the destination directory

Good luck!


Chris
_________________
To look without without looking within is like looking without without looking at all.

[IWBCMAN]

grooveman,


First off thanks for the tip. The command you showed *almost* did what I wanted.

[grooveman]

umm no...

The -P option should take care of replicating the subdirectories as it does the same thing as --parents.

I tried it out a few times before I posted it, and I have used it many times before, and it works nicely.

Are you certain you did it as I had written it? I think you forgot the - capitol P. That would dump them all to the same directory rather than replicating the directory tree. That is bad form, of course, because files will almost certainly be over-written as the find progresses.

If you don't want the 'home' level replicated, you can start in home and do a "find . -name blah blah blah".... that will start with the subdirectories under home. ..But then again, that is why I said "/new_root_dir" and not "/new_home_dir", what I had written should have dumped things appropriately --assuming you were trying to put the files in a new "/home" directory and not somewhere else.

Again, I cannot help you with pwconvert, although I would suggest you take care to make certain that the uid and gid of each home directory matches the intended uid/gid of each user, and that the perms are appropriate. Users without the appropriate perms/ownership will find themselves without an env .

Hope it works out for you.

Chris
_________________
To look without without looking within is like looking without without looking at all.

[M.A.]

For solving the password users problem, why can't you just copy /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow into your new system? Then you will only have to delete the not valid users (for example, some qmail user and you are not using qmail anymore).