# Manage Users and Groups with pkusers

Last modified on $Date: 2006-04-05 21:17:51 +0200 (Mi, 05. Apr 2006) $

You'll use this tool to create, manage or delete users or users groups from the database. Before you can assign print quotas to an user or group with the `edpykota` you MUST add this user or group to the database using `pkusers`.

The simplest way to add an user named `jerome` to the database is to type :

    $ pkusers --add jerome

The commands above have created user `jerome` in the database. By default this user will be limited by page quotas, that is a maximal number of pages can be assigned to this user on any printer. This has to be done through the `edpykota` command line tool.

You can apply different sorts of limitations to an user or users group, by specifying a different value for the `--limitby` command line option to `pkusers` :

- `--limitby quota` : Page quotas are defined for each user on each printer. This means that an user can be limited to print more than 20 pages on printer `HP2100` while still being allowed to print 500 pages on printer `TekTro`. This is the default.

- `--limitby balance` : Account balance quotas are defined once for each user. You give a number of credits to an user, and whenever he prints on any printer, his number of credits diminishes by the cost of the current print job, until his balance reaches 0 (or the value defined in the `balancezero` configuration directive in `~pykota/pykota.conf`). In other terms, while page quotas are specific to a particular printer for a particular user, account balance quotas are shared between all printers for a particular user.

- `--limitby noquota` : the user or group can print without any limitation, but accounting continues to be done.

- `--limitby nochange` : the user can print without any limitation, but accounting is not done. This value is not supported for users groups.

- `--limitby noprint` : the user can not print. This value is not supported for users groups.

Here's an incomplete list of features :

- Add and delete users and groups ;

- Add or remove users from users groups ;

- Choose the way you will limit printing for users or groups ;

- Set users' account balances. An optional comment can be added to each payment ;

- Set users' overcharging (or undercharging) factor ;

- Sets a textual description for users or groups ;

- Sets users' email addresses (on creation only) ;

- Lists users or groups ;

For more details on the use of `pkusers`, please see this command's manual page or help.