EX200 Manage users and groups Practice Question
An administrator wants to ensure that any new user accounts created on the system have a default primary group matching the username. What change is needed?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse the GROUP setting in /etc/default/useradd (which sets a fixed default group) with the USERGROUPS_ENAB mechanism that dynamically creates a matching group, leading them to incorrectly select Option A.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Set USERGROUPS_ENAB to yes in /etc/login.defs
Setting USERGROUPS_ENAB to yes in /etc/login.defs instructs the useradd command to automatically create a private group with the same name as the new user and assign it as the user's primary group. This is the default behavior in Red Hat Enterprise Linux and ensures that each new user has a matching primary group without manual intervention.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Set GROUP to same name in /etc/default/useradd
Why it's wrong here
The GROUP setting in /etc/default/useradd assigns a single fixed default group (by name or GID) to every new account. It cannot dynamically derive a group from the username being created, so it would force all users into one group rather than creating a per-user private group. Thus, even setting it to a group named the same as one user would not handle other users.
- ✗
Set USERGROUPS_ENAB to no; then create user with -g
Why it's wrong here
Setting USERGROUPS_ENAB to no tells useradd not to create a private group automatically, so new users are placed in the default group from /etc/default/useradd unless explicitly overridden. Using -g during a single useradd invocation applies only to that command and cannot by itself create a group whose name matches the new username; you would have to pre-create the group and manually pass it each time, which is not an automatic default behavior.
- ✓
Set USERGROUPS_ENAB to yes in /etc/login.defs
Why this is correct
When USERGROUPS_ENAB is set to yes, useradd automatically creates a private group whose name and GID match the new username and sets that group as the user's primary group. This is the default behavior on RHEL and derivatives, providing a one-to-one mapping between user and group. As long as this setting remains enabled, every new user account will have its own private primary group.
- ✗
Set CREATE_HOME to yes in /etc/login.defs
Why it's wrong here
CREATE_HOME is a /etc/login.defs parameter that controls whether useradd automatically creates the user's home directory, not how the primary group is chosen. Even if home directories are created, the primary GID comes from a different mechanism, such as USERGROUPS_ENAB, -g, or the GROUP default. Therefore, setting this alone has no effect on private group creation.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
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