Replace gitolite3 user with git

I am installing gitolite3 on a server, with ssh and http pulling/pushing/alltherest. During the process, a user and group gitolite3 is created.

When I run:

$ ssh gitolite3@server info

I get the correct gitolite3 message with RW repo information.

Trouble is, I want the usual user git instead of the cumbersome gitolite3, without breaking it all apart. Some other thread mentioned creating the user git with the same uid ang gid, but this does not give the same results as above.

When I login (using the conventional graphical login screen), there is my usual administrator user, and somehow the gitolite3 username (but Im not sure if this is the gitolite3 or the git user alias that i created).

How do I create the git user/replace the gitolite3 user so that ssh git@server info works with gitolite3? And what determines exactly when a user can login using the login screen, and how do turn that off?

Solution 1:

If this is a new environment I would just create the new git user like normal and then run through the gitolite setup for that user (and forget the gitolite3 user).

If you really want to keep the current gitolite configuration/repositories/etc. you can probably just copy all the relevant files to that user once you are done (and make sure the ownership information is updated) and it might Just Work (check the gitolite docs on moving the repos to a new machine in case it lists any extra gotchas about this process).

Solution 2:

If you don't already have a git user and basically want to rename the default gitolite3 user it may be fairly easy. Try running the following command as a privileged user.

usermod -l git gitolite3

This should rename the gitolite3 user to git. Which should allow the ssh commands to work as you wanted.

ssh git@hostname info