🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <9949@fs3.cam.nist.gov>, blue@cam.nist.gov (Jim_Blue_x3809)
writes:
|> On my 4D25, 4.0.5, how do I recover if I forget the root password?
|> Is recovery different on the Indigo that I am ordering to replace
|> it?

  My favourite solution (in case you can log in into a non-
root account):

a) cp /etc/passwd /tmp/passwd
b) remove root passwd from /tmp/passwd using your 
   favourite editor
c) bring system into single user mode. You might have to reset
   the system for that. In the PROM monitor "setenv initstate s"
   and "auto" boot.
d) In single user mode, copy /tmp/passwd into /etc/passwd. Bring
   system into multi user state and set a new root password.
e) Don't forget the new password.

  If the procedure does not work, because you have no open/known
account, you have to reset the system, bring it into single user
and try to generate a password file with a open root account. You
can try to do:

cat >>/etc/passwd
root1::0:0:Super-User:/:/bin/csh
^D

  then go multiuser, log in as root1, set a new password for root,
remove root1 for security reasons and continue with e) from above.
Do a few sync's before you reset the system in order to minimize
the risk of disc corruption during that procedure.

  On an Indigo the procedure is identical. The only problem is that
you can set and forget a ROOT password also. If you forget both
passwords, things get messy and you should contact your support
office to avoid destroying your hardware and warranty.


  Hope this helps
Martin
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|Martin Knoblauch                 | Silicon Graphics GmbH            |
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