topic Re: Delay with login when typing wrong password in Operating System - HP-UX

Delay with login when typing wrong password

Chris Jones_1 — Mon, 23 Jul 2001 06:20:12 GMT

Using HP-UX 11.0 with Trusted System active, when logging in through telnet and entering a wrong password there is a delay of between 10-20 seconds before the login prompt returns.

This is not the same behaviour on another system that is not trusted.

Since users frequently type the wrong password there is a real noticable delay in the login sequence.

Any ideas how this delay can be eliminated?

Thanks

Chris

Re: Delay with login when typing wrong password

Andrew_4 — Mon, 23 Jul 2001 06:46:11 GMT

You can use SAM to adjust this :

Auditing and Security
System Security Policies
Terminal Security Policies
Unsuccessful Login Tries Allowed: 1
Delay Between Login Tries (sec.): 2

hope this helps !

Andrew

Re: Delay with login when typing wrong password

Chris Jones_1 — Mon, 23 Jul 2001 06:56:29 GMT

Thanks for the quick response, however, I am still getting about 8 seconds delay between entering the password and receiving the message to say the login was wrong:
UX:login: ERROR: Login incorrect

Re: Delay with login when typing wrong password

Andrew_4 — Mon, 23 Jul 2001 07:00:12 GMT

Hmm...

I guess you could be experiencing a delay if you're using NIS/NIS+ to lookup your passwd file... or some other password Authentication method.

What is your password entry in /etc/nsswitch.conf ???

Andrew

Re: Delay with login when typing wrong password

Chris Jones_1 — Mon, 23 Jul 2001 07:20:44 GMT

We are not using NIS/NIS+ on the system and there is no nsswitch.conf file under /etc.

Any other suggestions?

Chris

Re: Delay with login when typing wrong password

Manuel P. Ron — Tue, 24 Jul 2001 07:48:57 GMT

Surely, your problem is there is not /etc/nsswitch.conf configured. Create the file by sam or using vi editor. Add a line like this...
passwd: files [NOTFOUND=return UNAVAIL=return]
Put file permissions to 444 and owned by root and sys group!.

Re: Delay with login when typing wrong password

Chris Jones_1 — Tue, 24 Jul 2001 08:36:53 GMT

Manuel

I followed your suggestion and created the file. Now I can't login as any user (including root from the console).

I removed the file from an existing session, but this does not clear the problem.

Help.

Re: Delay with login when typing wrong password

Chris Jones_1 — Tue, 24 Jul 2001 09:25:53 GMT

I removed the nsswitch.conf file and rebooted.
System is back!

Now, if we don't use NIS, I assume this file is not useful?

I still have an 8 sec. delay between entering a wrong password and getting a login prompt back.

Re: Delay with login when typing wrong password

George_14 — Tue, 24 Jul 2001 12:01:40 GMT

I had similar problem. What I did was I've modified the /etc/nsswitch.conf file.
Initial entry in my nsswitch.conf file was
hosts: files [TRYAGAIN=return NOTFOUND=return] dns
I've changed this to the following.
hosts: files [TRYAGAIN=continue NOTFOUND=continue] dns
You may check the /etc/resolv.conf file to see whether the entries are correct.

Re: Delay with login when typing wrong password

Chris Jones_1 — Tue, 24 Jul 2001 12:12:27 GMT

George

Is this really applicable, even if NIS is not running.

Chris

Re: Delay with login when typing wrong password

Chris Jones_1 — Tue, 24 Jul 2001 12:15:10 GMT

George

Is this really applicable, even if NIS is not configured/running.

Chris

Re: Delay with login when typing wrong password

George_14 — Tue, 24 Jul 2001 12:26:32 GMT

I assume that you've DNS server to resolv the the host names. If your DNS entry is not correct in the /etc/resolv.conf it takes a while to get your login prompt. You can also change the order of you DNS server entry in the resolv.conf file. Why don't you try it. It worked for me.

Re: Delay with login when typing wrong password

Manuel P. Ron — Wed, 25 Jul 2001 07:09:30 GMT

Chris. You are not using the passwd file, I see. You must have configured other access method for your users. But you can't use NIS/NIS+ with Trusted Systems because your passwords are not longer contained in the /etc/passwd file. Have you tried to change the password of a user and then login?