Users

qbee.io provides full user management for embedded Linux systems in the "Configuration management section" under "users". Users can be automatically added or removed through the state-based configuration engine, either fleet-wide or at a more granular level. Creating a user also creates a user directory, while deleting a user deletes the directory.

qbee-user-configuration

The password for users can be set in the security tab under "passwords". With qbee's state-based configuration system, new devices inserted later into the system will automatically receive the respective device configuration for that group, including any added or deleted users.

Predefined test or support users with standard passwords are often present in standard embedded Linux gateways, which poses a significant security risk. qbee can securely delete these users on newly inserted devices to prevent this threat.

New user and new password

Note that when adding a new user and assigning a password during the same commit, it takes two runs of the qbee agent to converge and set the password. Also, if a user is deleted, their home directory will also be deleted without warning, so standard users like "pi" for a Raspberry Pi should be added if user management is enabled.