Migrating Users from One AIX System to Another AIX System

Files that can be copied over

/etc/group
/etc/passwd
/etc/security/group
/etc/security/limits
/etc/security/passwd
/etc/security/.ids
/etc/security/environ
/etc/security/.profile

NOTE: Edit the passwd file so the root entry is as follows:

root:!:0:0::/:/usr/bin/ksh

When you copy the /etc/passwd and /etc/group files, make sure they contain at least a minimum set of essential user and group definitions.

Listed specifically as users are the following:

• root
• daemon
• bin
• sys
• adm
• uucp
• guest
• nobody
• lpd

Listed specifically as groups are the following:

• system
• staff
• bin
• sys
• adm
• uucp
• mail
• security
• cron
• printq
• audit
• ecs
• nobody
• usr

If the bos.compat.links fileset is installed, you can copy the /etc/security/mkuser.defaults file over. If it is not installed, the file belongs in the /usr/lib/security directory.

If you copy over mkuser.defaults, changes must be made to the stanzas.
Replace group with pgrp, and program with

shell. A proper stanza should look like the following:

user:
            pgrp = staff
            groups = staff
            shell = /usr/bin/ksh
            home = /home/$USER

The following files may also be copied over, as long as the AIX version in the
new machine is the same:

/etc/security/login.cfg
   /etc/security/user

NOTE: If you decide to copy these two files, open the
/etc/security/user
file and make sure that variables such as tty, registry, auth1 and so forth are
set properly with the new machine. Otherwise, do not copy these two files, and
just add all the user stanzas to the new created files in the new machine.
Once the files are moved over, execute the following:

usrck -t ALL
    pwdck -t ALL
    grpck -t ALL

This will clear up any discrepancies (such as uucp not having an entry in
/etc/security/passwd). Ideally this should be run on the source system
before
copying over the files as well as after porting these files to the new system.
NOTE: It is possible to find user ID conflicts when migrating users from
older versions of AIX to newer versions. AIX has added new user IDs in
different release cycles. These are reserved IDs and should not be deleted.
If your old user IDs conflict with the newer AIX system user IDs, it is advised
that you assign new user IDs to these older IDs.