home-lab/modules/users

User Configurations

This directory contains modular user configurations for the home lab infrastructure.

Philosophy

Following the Culture ship naming convention and Emacs org-mode literate programming approach, user configurations are organized to be:

• Modular: Each user has their own configuration module
• Shared: Common settings are in common.nix
• Character-driven: User names follow Culture character names
• Functional: Focus on practical daily use and system administration

User Accounts

Primary Users

geir - Primary User Account

• Role: Development, desktop use, daily computing
• Access: Full desktop environments (GNOME, Cosmic, Sway)
• Focus: Development tools, creative applications, multimedia
• Groups: wheel, networkmanager, libvirt, incus-admin, podman, audio, video, render

sma - System Administrator

• Full Name: Named after Diziet Sma (Special Circumstances agent)
• Role: System administration, security oversight, maintenance
• Access: SSH-only, command-line focused
• Focus: Monitoring, containers, security, infrastructure management
• Groups: wheel, networkmanager, libvirt, incus-admin, podman
• Security: SSH key authentication only, passwordless sudo

Service Accounts (Future)

• Consider adding service-specific users for:
  • forgejo-admin: Forgejo administration
  • media-admin: Jellyfin/media server management
  • backup-agent: Automated backup operations

File Structure

modules/users/
├── common.nix       # Shared user settings and packages
├── geir.nix         # Primary user configuration
├── sma.nix          # Admin user configuration
└── README.md        # This documentation

Design Principles

Security

• SSH key-based authentication for admin users
• Principle of least privilege
• Separate admin and daily-use accounts
• No root login allowed

Convenience

• Modern CLI tools and aliases
• Development-focused package selection
• Shell enhancements (zsh, starship, syntax highlighting)
• Container and virtualization integration

Consistency

• Common aliases and environment variables
• Shared shell configuration
• Standardized directory permissions
• Culture-inspired naming convention

Integration Points

With System Configuration

• Desktop environment modules automatically enable GUI applications
• Virtualization modules grant appropriate group memberships
• Network modules configure user network access

With User Configs

• Literate configurations stored in /home/geir/Home-lab/user_configs/
• Emacs org-mode files for complex configurations
• Automatic tangling of configuration files
• Version control integration

With Services

• User accounts automatically configured for enabled services
• Container runtime access for development users
• Monitoring and administration access for admin users

Usage Examples

Adding a New User

1. Create new module file: modules/users/new-username.nix
2. Choose appropriate Culture character name
3. Define role-specific packages and groups
4. Import in machine configuration
5. Document in this README

Modifying User Access

• Edit extraGroups for service access
• Update packages for new tools
• Modify shell aliases for workflow improvements
• Adjust sudo rules for administrative access

Security Considerations

• Regular audit of user accounts and permissions
• SSH key rotation schedule
• Monitor sudo usage and administrative actions
• Review group memberships quarterly

Culture Character Reference

• Diziet Sma: Pragmatic SC agent, perfect for system administration
• Cheradenine Zakalwe: Complex SC agent, high-capability operations
• Jernau Morat Gurgeh: Strategic game player, systematic thinking
• Perosteck Balveda: Professional SC agent, reliable operations

Choose character names that reflect the user's role and personality within the home lab infrastructure.