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Package: debian-reference
Version: 2.127
Severity: normal
Tags: patch

The command
$ sudo usermod -a -G foo netdev
tries to add user "netdev" to group "foo", and is bound to fail.

The correct syntax for adding user <user> to (supplementary) group <group> is
# usermod -a -G <group> <user>

The mistake is visible online at <https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-reference/ch05.en.html>.
It's present in source package versions 2.125 and 2.127.

Best regards,
g.

-- System Information:
Debian Release: 12.10
APT prefers stable-updates
APT policy: (500, 'stable-updates'), (500, 'stable-security'), (500, 'stable')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)

Kernel: Linux 6.1.0-34-amd64 (SMP w/12 CPU threads; PREEMPT)
Locale: LANG=C, LC_CTYPE=C.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8), LANGUAGE not set
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /usr/bin/dash
Init: sysvinit (via /sbin/init)
LSM: AppArmor: enabled

Versions of packages debian-reference depends on:
pn debian-reference-en <none>

Versions of packages debian-reference recommends:
pn debian-reference-de <none>
pn debian-reference-es <none>
pn debian-reference-fr <none>
pn debian-reference-id <none>
pn debian-reference-it <none>
pn debian-reference-ja <none>
pn debian-reference-pt <none>
pn debian-reference-zh-cn <none>
pn debian-reference-zh-tw <none>

debian-reference suggests no packages.

--- 05_network_setup.rawxml 2025-05-01 10:35:05.528712579 +0200
+++ 05_network_setup.rawxml.new 2025-05-01 10:28:45.619110419 +0200
@@ -353,7 +353,7 @@
<orderedlist>
<listitem>
<para> Make desktop user, e.g. <literal>foo</literal>, belong to group "<literal>netdev</literal>" by the following (Alternatively, do it automatically via <ulink url="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-Bus">D-bus</ulink> under modern desktop
environments such as GNOME and KDE). </para>
- <screen>$ sudo usermod -a -G foo netdev</screen>
+ <screen>$ sudo usermod -a -G netdev foo</screen>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para> Keep configuration of "<literal>/etc/network/interfaces</literal>" as simple as in the following. </para>

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

Hi,

Am 1. Mai 2025 10:56:16 MESZ schrieb g1 <g1pi@libero.it>:

The command
$ sudo usermod -a -G foo netdev
tries to add user "netdev" to group "foo", and is bound to fail.

The correct syntax for adding user <user> to (supplementary) group <group> is
# usermod -a -G <group> <user>

The text says
"Make desktop user, e.g. foo, belong to group "netdev" by the following:"

So you are right, the example is wrong, the <user> argument has to be the last one, like this:


- $ sudo usermod -a -G foo netdev
+ $ sudo usermod -a -G netdev foo



Holger





--
Sent from /e/ OS on Fairphone3

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

Control: tags -1 pending

Thanks

I committed to salsa


On Thu, 2025-05-01 at 12:46 +0200, Holger Wansing wrote:

Hi,

Am 1. Mai 2025 10:56:16 MESZ schrieb g1 <g1pi@libero.it>:

The command
   $ sudo usermod -a -G foo netdev
tries to add user "netdev" to group "foo", and is bound to fail.

The correct syntax for adding user <user> to (supplementary) group <group> is
   # usermod -a -G <group> <user>

The text says
"Make desktop user, e.g. foo, belong to group "netdev" by the following:"

So you are right, the example is wrong, the <user>  argument has to be the last one, like this:

- $ sudo usermod -a -G foo netdev
+ $ sudo usermod -a -G netdev foo

Holger

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)