Need to make a new user's home directory manually on all SRX platforms (including Firefly Perimeter) running with Junos OS release 12.1X47-D10

Alert Type:

PSN - Product Support Notification

 
Product Affected:

All SRX platforms and Firefly Perimeter

 
Alert Description:

Due to an internal build error, if a new user is configured on any of SRX devices (including Firefly Perimeter), which is running with Junos OS 12.1X47-D10. The user's home directory will not be created automatically.

e.g.,

[edit]
root@SRX# set system login user newuser class operator authentication plain-text-password 
New password:
Retype new password:

[edit]
root@SRX# commit and-quit 
commit complete
Exiting configuration mode

root@SRX> file list detail /var/home/ | match newuser    

root@SRX>

If you try to login to the SRX device using the new login username, you can login to the device, but it shows error messages, which cannot change to home directory.

% ssh newuser@172.22.145.106
Password:
--- JUNOS 12.1X47-D10.4 built 2014-08-14 22:48:52 UTC
Could not chdir to home directory /var/home/newuser: No such file or directory
newuser@SRX> 

Solution:
The correction is included in Junos OS 12.1X47-D11 (refer to the download links below), 12.1X47-D15 (scheduled to be released in early December 2014) and above.



Workaround:

1. After creating a new user on the CLI or J-Web, type "start shell" or "start shell user root" in Junos CLI without double quotes
2. Create the user's home directory and change the ownership

% mkdir -p /var/home/(username)

% chown -R -P -f (userid or username):20 /var/home/(username)

e.g.,

root@SRX> start shell 
root@SRX% mkdir -p /var/home/newuser
root@SRX% chown -R -P -f newuser:20 /var/home/newuser
root@SRX% ls -al /var/home/newuser
total 8
drwxr-xr-x   2 newuser  20      512 Oct  8 21:47 .
drwxr-xr-x  34 root     wheel  1024 Oct  8 21:47 ..


OR

root@SRX% chown -R -P -f 2009:20 /var/home/newuser
root@SRX% ls -al /var/home/newuser
total 8
drwxr-xr-x   2 newuser  20      512 Oct  8 21:47 .
drwxr-xr-x  34 root     wheel  1024 Oct  8 21:47 ..

NOTE: The userid's of each login name can be verified from the configuration.

e.g.,

[edit]
root@SRX# show system login user newuser 
uid 2009;   <-- LOOK HERE (uid stands for userid)
class operator;
authentication {
    encrypted-password "$1$FyKeeKqo$XKT8V1udIJbT9f4fpw2Yc."; ## SECRET-DATA
}