Invalid user error using chown

Question

I am running into an issue where when I type in sudo chown, I am recieving an invalid user error.

I created a user called clusterUser using the GUI. In the root directory of the computer (/), I created a folder called clusterFiles. I would like to change the home directory of clusterUser to be clusterFiles. I am using this set of commands to change the home directory:

sudo chown clusterUser /clusterFiles
sudo usermod -d /clusterFiles clusterUser

However, when I run the command sudo chown clusterUser /clusterFiles, I get the error invalid user clusterUser.

I know that I have created it becuase I logged into it. Is there something wrong with how I formatted the command?

Edit:

The output of getent passwd | grep 'cluster' yeilds:

rgcluster2blade1:x:1000:1000:RGcluster2Blade1,,,:/home/rgcluster2blade1:/bin/bas‌​h
clusteruser:x:1002:1002:clusterUser,,,:/home/clusteruser:/bin/bash

Solution

According to your passwd file, the username is clusteruser with a real name of clusterUser (clusteruser:...:clusterUser...). chown cares only about the username, which has no capital letters.

Use chown clusteruser.

Comments

[steeldriver]

What is the output of getent passwd | grep 'cluster'

[philm]

@steeldriver Sorry for the late reply. the output is as follows: rgcluster2blade1:x:1000:1000:RGcluster2Blade1,,,:/home/rgclu‌​ster2blade1:/bin/bas‌​h. And the 2nd line: clusteruser:x:1002:1002:clusterUser,,,:/home/clusteruser:/bi‌​n/bash

[steeldriver]

Would be much easier to decode if you edit it into your Q but it looks to me like you're confusing the GECOS 'full name' (clusterUser - mixed case) with the actual Unix username clusteruser (all lower case)

[philm]

@steeldriver Thank you for the recommendation, I updated my post. So the chown command is looking for the unix username?