Date: Wed, 24 Dec 1997 10:21:45 -0500 (EST) From: Jeff Wheat <jeff@cetlink.net> To: Dean Hollister <dean@odyssey.apana.org.au> Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org, grcuerrier <grcuerrier@cnwl.igs.net> Subject: Re: Lost root password Message-ID: <XFMail.971224103025.jeff@cetlink.net> In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.3.96.971224093432.9238B-100000@odyssey.apana.org.au>
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On 24-Dec-97 Dean Hollister wrote: >On Tue, 23 Dec 1997, grcuerrier wrote: > >> One of my techs entered a new root password, which he has forgotten. Is >> there any way a user with "wheel" access can reset the root password >> without having to redo the whole server? > >Have you tried rebooting, then at the 'boot:' prompt, type: > >-s > >This will run a root shell, and you should be able to change the root >passwd. There is a way to disable the feature, I recall it being in >rc.conf somewhere. > >Regards, > >d. > >+-------------------------------------------------------+ >| Dean Hollister, | dean@odyssey.apana.org.au | >| Perth, Western Australia. | deanh@iinet.net.au | >+-------------------------------------------------------+ If /etc/ttys has an entry of: console none unknown off insecure then booting with -s will prompt for a root password. To get around a lost password at this stage will require you to boot off of a floppy. Here is what I have had to do in the past when my root password was lost: 1) Boot from freebsd boot floppy 2) execute emergency shell 3) mount /dev/sd0a (or /dev/wd0a if using ide drives) /mnt 4) cd /mnt/etc 5) mv master.passwd master.passwd.save 6) mv passwd passwd.save 7) cp /etc/passwd passwd 8) cp /etc/master.passwd master.passwd 9) cd / 10) umount /mnt 11) reboot This allowed me to boot off the harddrive and get a root shell. At this point, I moved passwd.save and master.passwd.save to passwd and master.passwd, issue passwd -l root and re-enter a new passwd. Regards, Jeff ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jeff Wheat jeff@cetlink.net Senior Engineer CETLink.Net Inc. South Carolina +1.803.327.2754 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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