root cannot login tho sudo user can
Robin Laing
Robin.Laing at drdc-rddc.gc.ca
Wed May 12 17:41:15 UTC 2004
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
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