From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG  Wed Oct 22 07:06:14 2003
Return-Path: <owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG>
Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125])
	by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 914BC16A4BF
	for <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>;
	Wed, 22 Oct 2003 07:06:14 -0700 (PDT)
Received: from be-well.ilk.org (lowellg.ne.client2.attbi.com [66.30.200.37])
	by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 8808743FCB
	for <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>;
	Wed, 22 Oct 2003 07:06:13 -0700 (PDT)
	(envelope-from freebsd-questions-local@be-well.ilk.org)
Received: by be-well.ilk.org (Postfix, from userid 1147)
	id D76143B05; Wed, 22 Oct 2003 10:06:12 -0400 (EDT)
Sender: lowell@be-well.ilk.org
To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
References: <3F8315EE.5CDBCE70@chatusa.com>
	<20031021002425.48bbda15.pogrose@twcny.rr.com>
	<44u162zr51.fsf_-_@be-well.ilk.org>
	<20031021101552.74469a30.pogrose@twcny.rr.com>
From: Lowell Gilbert <freebsd-questions-local@be-well.ilk.org>
Date: 22 Oct 2003 10:06:12 -0400
In-Reply-To: <20031021101552.74469a30.pogrose@twcny.rr.com>
Message-ID: <44smllcqp7.fsf@be-well.ilk.org>
Lines: 23
User-Agent: Gnus/5.09 (Gnus v5.9.0) Emacs/21.3
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Subject: Re: [freebsd-questions] root passwd change
X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1
Precedence: list
Reply-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
List-Id: User questions <freebsd-questions.freebsd.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions>,
	<mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-questions>
List-Post: <mailto:freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>
List-Help: <mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions>,
	<mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2003 14:06:14 -0000

Eric Pogroski <pogrose@twcny.rr.com> writes:

> here's whats needed:
> 
> <presuming a full, multiuser system is running>
> # shutdown now
> # <hit return at the prompt for 'sh'> (csh & tcsh both go fubar in
> single-user mode) <at this point, all of the filesystems are
> still mounted> 
> # passwd root	<--- this is important - lost one system by NOT doing
> this
> # exit	-or-	reboot	<--- I prefer a reboot, but that's me.

Oh, right; we're only trying to change the root password here.  That's
not actually affected by securelevel at all, so that was a red herring
for me to bring up securelevel in the first place.

> work's about 9 times out of 10. It's the tenth one that makes you bald
> from frustration... :)

You need the ability to invoke shutdown.  Since you don't have the
root password, you need some other account with either root (via sudo,
for example) or operator-group access.