Changing a Protection Database Entry's Name
| Chapter 13. Administering the Protection Database |

## Changing a Protection Database Entry's Name

To change the name of a Protection Database entry, use the pts rename command. It is best to change a user entry's name only when renaming the entire user account, since so many components of the account (Authentication Database entry, volume name, home directory mount point, and so on) share the name. For instructions, see Changing Usernames. A machine entry's name maps to the actual IP address of one or more machine, so changing the entry's name is appropriate only if the IP addresses have changed.

It is likely, then, that most often you need to change group names. The following types of name changes are possible:

- Changing a regular group's name to another regular group name. The most common reason for this type of change is that you have used the pts chown command to change the owner of the group. That operation does not change the owner_name prefix of a regular group owned by the group whose name has been changed. Therefore, you must use the pts rename command to change it appropriately. For example, when user pat becomes the owner of the terry:friends group, its name changes automatically to pat:friends, but the name of a group it owns, terry:pals, does not change. Use the pts rename command to rename terry:pals to pat:pals. The Protection Server does not accept changes to the owner_name prefix that do not reflect the true ownership (changing terry:pals to smith:pals is not possible).

  You can also use the pts rename command to change the group_name portion of a regular group name, with or without changing the owner_name prefix.

  Both the group's owner and the members of the system:administrators group can change its name to another regular group name.

- Changing a regular group's name to a prefix-less name. If you change a group's name in this way, you must also use the pts rename command to change the name of any regular group that the group owns. Only members of the system:administrators group can make this type of name change.

- Changing a prefix-less name to another prefix-less name. As with other name changes, the owner_name prefix of any regular groups that the prefix-less group owns does not change automatically. You must issue the pts rename command on them to maintain consistency.

  Both the group's owner and the members of the system:administrators group can change its name to another prefix-less name.

- Changing a prefix-less name to a regular name. The owner_name prefix on the new name must accurately reflect the group's ownership. As with other name changes, the owner_name prefix of any regular groups that the prefix-less group owns does not change automatically. You must issue the pts rename command on them to maintain consistency.

  Only members of the system:administrators group can make this type of name change.

### To change the name of a machine or group entry

1. Verify that you belong to the system:administrators group. If necessary, issue the pts membership command, which is fully described in To display the members of the system:administrators group.

          % pts membership system:administrators

2. Issue the pts rename command to change the entry's name.

          % pts rename <old name> <new name>

   where

   ren

     Is the shortest acceptable abbreviation of rename.

   old name

     Specifies the entry's current name.

   new name

     Specifies the new name. If the new name is for a regular group, the owner_name prefix must correctly indicate the owner.

Changing a Group's Owner |  | Setting Group-Creation Quota