4.4. Adding the CLFS User

When logged in as user root, making a single mistake can damage or destroy a system. Therefore, we recommend building the packages as an unprivileged user. You could use your own user name, but to make it easier to set up a clean work environment, create a new user called clfs as a member of a new group (also named clfs) and use this user during the installation process. As root, issue the following commands to add the new user:

groupadd clfs
useradd -s /bin/bash -g clfs -d /home/clfs clfs
mkdir -pv /home/clfs
chown -v clfs:clfs /home/clfs

To log in as clfs (as opposed to switching to user clfs when logged in as root, which does not require the clfs user to have a password), give clfs a password:

passwd clfs

Grant clfs full access to ${CLFS}/cross-tools and ${CLFS}/tools by making clfs the directorys' owner:

chown -v clfs ${CLFS}/tools
chown -v clfs ${CLFS}/cross-tools

If a separate working directory was created as suggested, give user clfs ownership of this directory:

chown -v clfs ${CLFS}/sources

Next, login as user clfs. This can be done via a virtual console, through a display manager, or with the following substitute user command:

su - clfs

The “-” instructs su to start a login shell as opposed to a non-login shell. The difference between these two types of shells can be found in detail in bash(1) and info bash.