see explanation below. Explanation * useradd eric * passwd eric * vi /etc/passwd * eric:x:505:505::/home/eric:/sbin/nologin Which shell or program should start at login time is specified in /etc/passwd file? By default, Redhat Enterprise Linux assigns the /bin/bash shell to the users. To deny the interactive login, you should write /sbin/nologin or /bin/ false instead of login shell.