Linux users created by Vertica
This topic describes the Linux accounts that the installer creates and configures so Vertica can run. When you install Vertica, the installation script optionally creates the following Linux user and group:
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dbadmin—Administrative user
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verticadba—Group for DBA users
dbadmin and verticadba are the default names. If you want to change what these Linux accounts are called, you can do so using the installation script. See Install Vertica with the installation script for details.
Dbadmin privileges
The Linux dbadmin user owns the database catalog and data storage on disk. When you run the install script, Vertica creates this user on each node in the database cluster. It also adds dbadmin to the Linux dbadmin and verticadba groups, and configures the account as follows:
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Configures and authorizes dbadmin for passwordless SSH between all cluster nodes. SSH must be installed and configured to allow passwordless logins. See Enable secure shell (SSH) logins.
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Sets the dbadmin user's BASH shell to
/bin/bash, required to run scripts, such as install_vertica and the Administration tools. -
Provides read-write-execute permissions on the following directories:
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/opt/vertica/* -
/home/dbadmin—the default directory for database data and catalog files (configurable through the install script)
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Note
The Vertica installation script also creates a Vertica database superuser named dbadmin. They share the same name, but they are not the same; one is a Linux user and the other is a Vertica user. See Database administration user for information about the database superuser.After you install Vertica
Root or sudo privileges are not required to start or run Vertica after the installation process completes.
The dbadmin user can log in and perform Vertica tasks, such as creating a database, installing/changing the license key, or installing drivers. If dbadmin wants database directories in a location that differs from the default, the root user (or a user with sudo privileges) must create the requested directories and change ownership to the dbadmin user.
Vertica prevents administration from users other than the dbadmin user (or the user name you specified during the installation process if not dbadmin). Only this user can run Administration Tools.