passwd: Authentication token manipulation error

[joseph wholey]

-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2558 Mar 30 09:40 /etc/passwd
-r-------- 1 root root 1958 Mar 30 09:40 /etc/shadow


Creating ID and changing password:

/var/log/secure
Mar 30 09:40:55 rhel012 useradd[21436]: new user: name=cognos, uid=206, gid=306, home=/home/cognos, shell=/bin/ksh

/var/log/messages
Mar 30 09:40:55 rhel012 passwd(pam_unix)[21439]: password changed for cognos


ssh'ing into server (as cognos) with above id and password previously created:

/var/log/secure (after logging in as cognos)
Mar 30 09:43:49 rhel012 sshd[21487]: Accepted password for cognos from ::ffff:10.160.11.75 port 35769 ssh2

/var/log/messages (after logging in as cognos)
Mar 30 09:43:49 rhel012 sshd(pam_unix)[21490]: session opened for user cognos by (uid=0)

attempting to change cognos' password as cognos:

$ passwd
Changing password for user cognos.
Changing password for cognos
(current) UNIX password:
passwd: Authentication token manipulation error

/var/log/secure (no new messages)

/var/log/messages
Mar 30 09:48:32 rhel012 passwd(pam_unix)[21582]: authentication failure; logname=cognos uid=206 euid=0 tty=pts/1 ruser= rhost= user=cognos

[Ivan Ferreira]

Are you sure that you are specifying your CURRENT password (used to login) correctly before the NEW password?

[joseph wholey]

Well, if I wasn't, how would I be able to log in?

[Ivan Ferreira]

Please post /etc/pam.d/passwd and /etc/pam.d/system-auth

[joseph wholey]

root@rhel012 ~]# cat /etc/pam.d/passwd
#%PAM-1.0
auth required pam_stack.so service=system-auth
account required pam_stack.so service=system-auth
password required pam_stack.so service=system-auth
[root@rhel012 ~]#

[root@rhel012 ~]# cat /etc/pam.d/system-auth
#%PAM-1.0
# This file is auto-generated.
# User changes will be destroyed the next time authconfig is run.
auth required /lib/security/$ISA/pam_env.so
auth sufficient /lib/security/$ISA/pam_unix.so likeauth nullok
auth required /lib/security/$ISA/pam_deny.so

account required /lib/security/$ISA/pam_unix.so
account sufficient /lib/security/$ISA/pam_succeed_if.so uid < 100 quiet
account required /lib/security/$ISA/pam_permit.so

password requisite /lib/security/$ISA/pam_cracklib.so retry=3
password sufficient /lib/security/$ISA/pam_unix.so nullok use_authtok md5 shadow
password required /lib/security/$ISA/pam_deny.so

session required /lib/security/$ISA/pam_limits.so
session required /lib/security/$ISA/pam_unix.so
[root@rhel012 ~]#

[Ivan Ferreira]

Can you try with a simple password?

As root:

passwd user

(set 123456 for the user password)

su - user

passwd
(current) UNIX password: 123456
New UNIX password:

[joseph wholey]

I'm closing the thread... embarrassingly due to operator error on my part. Was not passing correct password... Sorry for the time wasted. thanks for all the advice.

[joseph wholey]

closing

[Ivan Ferreira]

That's what I mean in:

"Are you sure that you are specifying your CURRENT password (used to login) correctly before the NEW password?"

Please assign points to the people that helped you even if you did not find the answer here.

[joseph wholey]

Ivan... yes... as soon as I realized that, my face turned red, I started sweating and said "oh s%$*, how did I missed that. Again, sorry for time wasted for all involved.