Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:16:45 -0400 From: Jerry McAllister <jerrymc@msu.edu> To: Jesse Sheidlower <jester@panix.com> Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Can't log in as root on new 7.0 install Message-ID: <20080414171645.GJ31602@gizmo.acns.msu.edu> In-Reply-To: <20080414143503.GA8718@panix.com> References: <20080414143503.GA8718@panix.com>
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On Mon, Apr 14, 2008 at 10:35:03AM -0400, Jesse Sheidlower wrote: > > I've recently installed FreeBSD 7.0 on a new server. I seem to > be unable to log in as root in any way, and I'm not sure why. > Furthermore I'm now physically separate from the machine, and > have been relying on a (non-computer-literate) colleague with > access to its console server to try and help. > > After the initial install I (am pretty sure I) was able to log > in as root over ssh. However, after a week when the machine > was inaccessible for other reasons, I cannot log in as root, > only as a normal user. > > I thought that I had perhaps mis-remembered the root password, > so I directed the colleague to log in in single user mode and > reset the root password; she was able to do this, and typed > "exit" to return the system to multi-user mode and herself at > a root prompt. However I was still not able to log in as root, > either over ssh, or by logging in as a normal user and then > typing "login root" (i.e. it wasn't just something preventing > root logins over ssh). > > I then asked the colleague to add me to the "wheel" group, > which she successfully did; I logged out and back in again, > determined that I was indeed in this group, and tried to "su -" > and got a "su: Sorry" message, with the colleague reporting > that a "BAD SU [user] to root on /dev/ttyp0" message had > appeared. > > I'm sort of at a loss for what to do or why this is happening, > and am quite eager to control my own machine....Suggestions > welcome. Well, the two things I would guess are: there is a syntax error in adding your regular id to the wheel group and you are typing in the root password incorrectly. I've never had it fail when I remembered to add my id to wheel and got the root password right. Can your colleague log in with her id and then su to root? I have never used su with the '-' on it, but I presume that should be no problem. ////jerry > > Thanks very much. > > Jesse Sheidlower > _______________________________________________ > freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list > http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions > To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscribe@freebsd.org"
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