root cannot login tho sudo user can

[Karl L]

On Wed, 12 May 2004 11:41:15 -0600
Robin Laing <Robin.Laing at drdc-rddc.gc.ca> wrote:

> Karl L wrote:
> > On Wed, 12 May 2004 07:54:04 -0400
> > Bob Chiodini <chiodr at kscems.ksc.nasa.gov> wrote:
> > 
> > 
> >>On Wed, 2004-05-12 at 02:53, Karl L wrote:
> >>
> 
> > Thanks for your reply.  I apologize for not providing more information.
> > My main problem is that I don't get an error message and can't find anything in the logs that reflects the situation.  But, here's what happens when I try to login as root (and I've tried this with both the smp and non-smp version of 2188 as well as with the previous kernel release with the same result):  I get a username prompt, I enter the username 'root'; I then get a password prompt, I enter the correct root password and then -- a BSOD! (though the mouse cursor is still 'alive').
> > 
> > So, the first thing I tried after this had happened twice was to login as my 'emergency user' (an ALL access sudoer) and entered  'sudo passwd root', got the password change prompt, entered a new password, confirmed it (and it seemed to be accepted normally).  Then I checked /etc/passwd
> > visually (it seemed OK) but then I checked it with 'sudo /usr/sbin/pwck'
> > (which should examine both /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow for syntax problems) and, though both files appeared to be intact, there was no return code from pwck that I could find in any log (even 'sudo /usr/sbin/pwck > pwcktest.txt' produced an empty file).  After this, I tried another root login with the "new" password but got the same Blue Screen of Death as before. BTW, my very first examination of /etc with
> > ls did turn up a 6-byte password.lock file (which I simply renamed password.lock.problem and left there)
> > 
> > So, as a sudoer, I read thru all the logs in /var/log looking for some indication of the problem but could find nothing that struck my eye (which I hasten to add did not really know what to be looking for, truth be told).
> > 
> > What I'd like to do is follow the sequence of scripts and modules that are called after a successful login but I don't know enough about this system to identify that sequence.  Any guidance here would be much appreciated. 
> > 
> > Thanks 
> > 
> > Karl L
> > 
> > 
> 
> Is the root home directory intact?
> 
> Maybe something in the /root/ directory is trying to start and 
> crashing the system.
> 
> What happens if you just try to su (not su -)in a terminal window?
> If you can login this way, the password is working.  I think it is 
> because of the BSOD that you are getting.  It looks like X isn't 
> starting for root.  Possibly a corrupted config file in /root/ .
> 
> 
> -- 
> Robin Laing
> 



Good thinking!  I'm logged into X as a sudoer (user911).  I enter 'su' and rootpass (at prompt) ==>  pwd reveals that I'm in /home/user911  but
when logged in as sudoer (user911) and I enter 'su -' and rootpass (at prompt) ==> then pwd reveals that I'm in /root and have full root privs. So, the rootpass is working!

Progress for which I thank you.  

The /root directory appears to be intact and since I can operate as root
(without the sudo qualifier) once I'm in as user911 and issue su - (with the current password), I'd say it is intact.

Still I've just checked /root/.xsession-errors visually and there are a LOT of them.  I don't know the meaning of many (maybe, all) of them but
I think that's where the trail is leading.  However, it is true that I can use apps in X (such as gedit) after 'su -' even if selectively (for example, I can use gedit to create a text file but I cannot save it to /root but can save it to /home/user911 so that seems to imply that X is function`ing at some level.

Karl L