Group profiles
A group profile is a special type of user profile that provides the same authority to a group of users.
- Define authority for a group of users, rather than giving authority to each user individually.
- Own objects on the system.
- Use a group profile as a pattern when creating individual user profiles by using the copy profile function.
A group profile is a special type of user profile and can own objects on the system. Typically, you create a group profile for a set of users with similar system access and usage needs. For example, you might create a group profile for a set of users who need to use the same applications in the same way.
You can also use a group profile as a pattern when you create individual user profiles, either by using the copy-profile function or by using IBM Navigator for i, expanding Users and Groups then clicking Create Group.
- Security tool: A group profile provides a simple way to organize who can use certain object authorities. Object authorities control who has permission to access and use objects on your system. You can define object authorities for an entire group rather than for each individual member of the group. A user can be a member of up to 16 group profiles.
- Customization tool: You can use a group profile as a pattern for creating individual user profiles. Most people who are part of the same group have the same customizing needs, such as the initial menu and the default printer. You can define these in the group profile and copy them to the individual user profiles.
You can use group profiles to make it easier to maintain a simple, consistent scheme for both security and customization.
You create group profiles in the same way that you create individual profiles. The system recognizes a group profile when you add the first member to it. At that point, the system sets information in the profile indicating that it is a group profile. The system also generates a group identification number (gid) for the profile. You can also designate a profile as a group profile at the time you create it by specifying a value in the gid parameter.