Need help customizing InstaUser

[calloway]

Hi!
I attempted to customize the instauser scripts, following the directions I found in a different post here. However, when I add the resulting package to my install train, run instadmg, and then restore the resulting image to a test volume, I get an unbootable copy of OS X. It begins to load the kernel, then reboots. I’ve tried booting in verbose mode, but nothing jumps out; also there is no crash or panic logs.

Here are the steps that I took to customize it. I want to end up with a user called “remote” that has my own password. Can someone please take a look at what I have documented here, and let me know where I am going wrong?

Thanks!

Instauser Documentation

1. Modified /Library/Startupitiems/instauser/instauser as follows:

#Make the home
/usr/bin/ditto /System/Library/User\ Template/English.lproj/ /Users/remote
/usr/sbin/chown -R remote:staff /Users/remote

#Remote Registration
touch /var/db/.AppleSetupDone

#Supress Upgrade Style registration
touch /Library/Receipts/.SetupRegComplete

2. Modified /Library/Startupitems/StartupParameters.plist as follows:

{
Description = “Auto User Creation”;
OrderPreference = Last;
Provides = (
remote
);
Requires = (
Network,
DirectoryServices
);
}

3. Changed /var/db/dslocal/nodes/Default/groups/admin.plist as follows:

root
remote

4. Re-named /var/db/dslocal/nodes/Default/groups/users/instadmg.plist to ‘remote.plist’ and modified as foolows:

_writers_LinkedIdentity

remote

_writers_UserCertificate

remote

_writers_hint

Mohawk Mac Support Remote User

_writers_jpegphoto

remote

_writers_passwd

entered password I wanted to use here.

_writers_picture

remote

_writers_realname

remote

authentication_authority

;ShadowHash;

generateduid

“9BB9BC05-34B5-4A0E-8DEC-3855D3183954

gid

20

hint

home

/Users/remote

name

remote

passwd

********
#Did not modify this line

picture

/Library/User Pictures/Fun/Fortune Cookie.tif

realname

remote

shell

/bin/bash

uid

499
#Yes, I want him hidden

5. Used a php script found on afp548 called shadowhash for the purpose of getting the has right. Used the current GUID to generate a hash for the specific password that I wanted to use. Since this password consists of special characters, I had to use quotes, such that:

./shadowHash “password”>””9BB9BC05-34B5-4A0E-8DEC-3855D3183954”

Replaced /var/db/shadow/hash with the newly created has file.

6. Used packagemaker to build a package based on now modified Archive folder. (Dragged it in and built.)

[thomasb]

[QUOTE][u]Quote by: calloway[/u][p]Hi!
I attempted to customize the instauser scripts, following the directions I found in a different post here. However, when I add the resulting package to my install train, run instadmg, and then restore the resulting image to a test volume, I get an unbootable copy of OS X. It begins to load the kernel, then reboots. I’ve tried booting in verbose mode, but nothing jumps out; also there is no crash or panic logs.[/p][/QUOTE]
I had a smiliar problem with [b]Instauser 10.5[/b]. The problem I had was that the [b]var[/b] folder was overwritten (it could not see the symlink to /private/var). It sounds like you have the same problem. This must be a bug with [b]Instauser 10.5[/b].

The problem is that the [b]var[/b] folder is a symlink to [b]/private/var[/b]. Just put your [b]var[/b] folder inside a [b]private[/b] folder before adding it to your package, and you should be good to go.

It should look like this, when issuing the following command on your package:
[code]lsbom -fs `pkgutil –bom /path/to/your/package.pkg`[/code]
That should give you an output simliar to this.
[code]./Library/StartupItems/instauser/._instauser
./Library/StartupItems/instauser/StartupParameters.plist
./Library/StartupItems/instauser/instauser
./private/var/db/dslocal/nodes/Default/groups/admin.plist
./private/var/db/dslocal/nodes/Default/users/admin.plist
./private/var/db/shadow/hash/LONG-STRING-OF-CHARACTERS[/code]
An other thing to be aware of, is that you need to get the permissions for your StartupItem correct. PackageMaker is not able to get it exactly right, when clicking [b]Apply Recommendations[/b].
[code]folder (instauser): root/wheel : drwxr-xr-x (755)
script: root/wheel : -rwxr-xr-x (755)
StartupParameters.plist: root/wheel : -rw-r–r– (644)[/code]
[url]http://developer.apple.com/documentation/MacOSX/Conceptual/BPSystemStartup/Articles/StartupItems.html[/url] (see [b]Startup Item Permissions[/b])

You can make a new user account in System Preferences, and just copy the right folders/files, if you want to make your account the GUI-way. Then just distribute it the way it is done in [b]Instauser 10.5[/b] (remember /private/var).

Hope this helps.

[Author]

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