# user module bug? **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Created:** [November 1, 2012, 3:37pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/user-module-bug/12061 "2012-11-01T15:37:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mark\_Maas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7c8e57/32.png) [@Mark\_Maas](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Mark_Maas)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 3:37pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/user-module-bug/12061/1 "2012-11-01T15:37:04Z")
I think there are two different bugs in the user module. 1.) If I leave the “authorized\_key” action in the tasks, the user will not be deleted even when the state=absent for the user module. 2.) When I comment out the “authorized\_key” action for that user, the user module returns this error: “failed: [[benelec.net](http://benelec.net)] =\> {“failed”: true, “msg”: “userdel: warning: can’t remove /var/mail/harm: No such file or directory\n”, “name”: “harm”, “rc”: 12}” And the action: “action: user force=yes remove=yes name=harm state=absent” A second run is then ok, as the user is gone. ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Maas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7c8e57/32.png) [@Mark\_Maas](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Mark_Maas)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 3:46pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/user-module-bug/12061/2 "2012-11-01T15:46:53Z")
As for number 1.) I had this: - name: Users beheren action: user comment=Harm groups=sudo append=yes password=XXXXXforce=yes remove=yes name=harm state=absent action: authorized\_key user=harm key=‘’ Which does not work, but this does work: - name: Users beheren action: user comment=Harm groups=sudo append=yes password=beQCZAKpGdV0w force=yes remove=yes name=harm state=absent - name: Add key action: authorized\_key user=harm key=‘’ At least then the user get’s deleted and you get a reminder you still have an action for a authorized\_key in your playbook for that user 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_DeHaan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@Michael\_DeHaan](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Michael_DeHaan)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 3:54pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/user-module-bug/12061/3 "2012-11-01T15:54:38Z")
Please show me a full example – Michael ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_DeHaan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@Michael\_DeHaan](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Michael_DeHaan)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 3:55pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/user-module-bug/12061/4 "2012-11-01T15:55:13Z")
Ok please define what doesn’t work means – Michael ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Maas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7c8e57/32.png) [@Mark\_Maas](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Mark_Maas)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 3:58pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/user-module-bug/12061/5 "2012-11-01T15:58:56Z")
The full original version: ---
**Author:** ![Stephen\_Fromm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Stephen\_Fromm](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Stephen_Fromm)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/user-module-bug/12061/6 "2012-11-01T16:37:38Z")
There’s a couple issues here. See inline below. > The full original version: > > * * * > > - hosts: all > vars: > user: mark > sudo: true > gather\_facts: false > tasks: > - name: Users beheren > action: user comment=Harm groups=sudo append=yes password=XXXXXX force=yes remove=yes name=harm state=absent > action: authorized\_key user=harm key=‘’ The above play has a problem. You have two actions defined in one task. It should be one action per task. > This did not delete the user. But this one: > > * * * > > - hosts: all > vars: > user: mark > sudo: true > gather\_facts: false > tasks: > - name: Users beheren > action: user comment=Harm groups=sudo append=yes password=XXXX force=yes remove=yes name=harm state=absent > - name: Key toevoegen > action: authorized\_key user=harm key=‘’ > > Does, but just gives two warnings, one that the /var/mail/harm file could not be found and the other that the user could not be found anymore (As I just deleted it) Is this on debian or ubuntu? I recall an issue with userdel on a version of one of those distributions where userdel would successfully delete the user but exit with rc != 0 because /var/mail/user didn’t exist. Please let us know the distribution and version. sf ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Maas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7c8e57/32.png) [@Mark\_Maas](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Mark_Maas)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 4:59pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/user-module-bug/12061/7 "2012-11-01T16:59:48Z")
> There’s a couple issues here. See inline below. > > > The full original version: > > tasks: > > > > - name: Users beheren > > action: user comment=Harm groups=sudo append=yes password=XXXXXX force=yes remove=yes name=harm state=absent > > action: authorized\_key user=harm key=‘’ > > The above play has a problem. You have two actions defined in one task. It should be one action per task. Noted. Wont’ do it again. > two warnings, one that the /var/mail/harm file could not be found and the other that the user could not be found anymore (As I just deleted it) > > Is this on debian or ubuntu? I recall an issue with userdel on a version of one of those distributions where userdel would successfully delete the user but exit with rc != 0 because /var/mail/user didn’t exist. Please let us know the distribution and version. Versions: [data.xxxx.net](http://data.xxxx.net) | success | rc=0 \>\> Debian GNU/Linux 6.0 \n \l [zimbra.xxxx.net](http://zimbra.xxxx.net) | success | rc=0 \>\> Ubuntu 12.04.1 LTS \n \l And the uname: [data.xxxx.net](http://data.xxxx.net) | success | rc=0 \>\> Linux data 2.6.32-14-pve #1 SMP Tue Aug 21 08:24:37 CEST 2012 i686 GNU/Linux [zimbra.xxxx.net](http://zimbra.xxxx.net) | success | rc=0 \>\> Linux zimbra 3.2.0-32-generic #51-Ubuntu SMP Wed Sep 26 21:33:09 UTC 2012 x86\_64 x86\_64 x86\_64 GNU/Linux Mark ---
**Author:** ![Stephen\_Fromm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Stephen\_Fromm](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Stephen_Fromm)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 6:32am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/user-module-bug/12061/8 "2012-11-02T06:32:47Z")
See [https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/shadow/+bug/1023509](https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/shadow/+bug/1023509). You may want to test the behavior of userdel on those platforms and evaluate whether the fix is applied and working. Also, I didn’t see the output from ansible-playbook in this thread. You said it works, but gives warnings. Please provide specific output. sf ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Maas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7c8e57/32.png) [@Mark\_Maas](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Mark_Maas)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 6:51am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/user-module-bug/12061/9 "2012-11-02T06:51:42Z")
> See [https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/shadow/+bug/1023509](https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/shadow/+bug/1023509). You may want to test the behavior of userdel on those platforms and evaluate whether the fix is applied and working. Strange, as it happens on both a Debian 6.0.6 and a Ubuntu 12.04 platform > Also, I didn’t see the output from ansible-playbook in this thread. You said it works, but gives warnings. Please provide specific output. The first post has it: 2.) When I comment out the “authorized\_key” action for that user, the user module returns this error: “failed: [[benelec.net](http://benelec.net/)] =\> {“failed”: true, “msg”: “userdel: warning: can’t remove /var/mail/harm: No such file or directory\n”, “name”: “harm”, “rc”: 12}” But the full thing looks like this: > mark@xxxx:~/ansible/xxxx$ ansible-playbook -c ssh -K ./harm.yml > sudo password: > > PLAY [xxxx] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* > > TASK: [Users beheren] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* > failed: [[xxxx.net](http://xxxx.net)] =\> {“failed”: true, “msg”: “userdel: warning: can’t remove /var/mail/harm: No such file or directory\n”, “name”: “harm”, “rc”: 12} > failed: [[data.xxxx.net](http://data.xxxx.net)] =\> {“failed”: true, “msg”: “userdel: warning: can’t remove /var/mail/harm: No such file or directory\n”, “name”: “harm”, “rc”: 12} > failed: [[tools.xxxx.net](http://tools.xxxx.net)] =\> {“failed”: true, “msg”: “userdel: warning: can’t remove /var/mail/harm: No such file or directory\n”, “name”: “harm”, “rc”: 12} > failed: [[www.xxxx.net](http://www.xxxx.net)] =\> {“failed”: true, “msg”: “userdel: warning: can’t remove /var/mail/harm: No such file or directory\n”, “name”: “harm”, “rc”: 12} > failed: [[zimbra.xxxx.net](http://zimbra.xxxx.net)] =\> {“failed”: true, “msg”: “userdel: warning: can’t remove /var/mail/harm: No such file or directory\n”, “name”: “harm”, “rc”: 12} > > FATAL: all hosts have already failed – aborting > > PLAY RECAP \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* > [xxxx.net](http://xxxx.net) : ok=0 changed=0 unreachable=0 failed=1 > [data.xxxx.net](http://data.xxxx.net) : ok=0 changed=0 unreachable=0 failed=1 > [tools.xxxx.net](http://tools.xxxx.net) : ok=0 changed=0 unreachable=0 failed=1 > [www.xxxx.net](http://www.xxxx.net) : ok=0 changed=0 unreachable=0 failed=1 > [zimbra.xxxx.net](http://zimbra.xxxx.net) : ok=0 changed=0 unreachable=0 failed=1 And the yaml file: > mark@xxxxxx:~/ansible/xxxxxx$ cat ./harm.yml > > * * * > > - hosts: xxxxxx > > vars: > > user: mark > > sudo: true > > gather\_facts: false > > tasks: > > - name: Users beheren > > action: user comment=Harm groups=sudo append=yes password=xxxxxx force=yes remove=yes name=harm state=absent And finally the hosts in question: > mark@xxxxxx:~/ansible/xxxxxx$ ansible xxxxxx -c ssh -m command -a “cat /etc/issue” > > [xxxxxx.net](http://xxxxxx.net) | success | rc=0 \>\> > > Debian GNU/Linux 6.0 \n \l > > [data.xxxxxx.net](http://data.xxxxxx.net) | success | rc=0 \>\> > > Debian GNU/Linux 6.0 \n \l > > [tools.xxxxxx.net](http://tools.xxxxxx.net) | success | rc=0 \>\> > > Debian GNU/Linux 6.0 \n \l > > [www.xxxxxx.net](http://www.xxxxxx.net) | success | rc=0 \>\> > > Debian GNU/Linux 6.0 \n \l > > [zimbra.xxxxxx.net](http://zimbra.xxxxxx.net) | success | rc=0 \>\> > > Ubuntu 12.04.1 LTS \n \l Thanks, Mark ---
**Author:** ![Stephen\_Fromm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Stephen\_Fromm](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Stephen_Fromm)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 5:53pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/user-module-bug/12061/10 "2012-11-02T17:53:05Z")
Disclaimer: i’m not a Debian/Ubuntu user. Ubuntu gets the package from Debian. The launchpad bug page has a link to Debian’s bug tracker for the same issue. Debian’s bug tracker reports the issue is fixed in 1:4.1.5-1. For Debian, this version is available in testing. It appears to not yet be available in stable. As I understand, Ubuntu bases their passwd package on Debian’s. I poked at Ubuntu’s package database and it isn’t clear to me when they plan to land 1:4.1.5-1. Since this is acknowledged by upstream as a bug, I encourage you to apply the fix available from them. sf