topic Re: Change root password on VAX in Operating System - OpenVMS

Change root password on VAX

Swain — Thu, 14 May 2009 12:52:01 GMT

I have forgot the password for my VAX superuser login. This user account is the only one having priv=all. The server has no CD drive. How to change the root password?

Thanks,
Amaresh

Re: Change root password on VAX

Hakan Zanderau ( Anders — Thu, 14 May 2009 12:59:28 GMT

I assume you mean the account SYSTEM ??
Is SYSTEM the only account on this node with privileges ?? or the only account you are aware of.

Hakan

Re: Change root password on VAX

Hoff — Thu, 14 May 2009 13:07:23 GMT

Here is the boot sequence to reset the SYSTEM password, which is the OpenVMS VAX analog of superuser and root and such.

http://labs.hoffmanlabs.com/node/204

This is analogous to a typical single-user mode bootstrap.

Re: Change root password on VAX

Jim Hintze — Thu, 14 May 2009 13:20:52 GMT

Well, this has been a while ('97) but we'll give it a shot.

boot the vax in conversational mode, if i remenber right set the low bit in r5.

sysboot> set/startup _opa0:
sysboot> set startup_p1 "MIN"
sysboot> c

when you see the $ prompt
$ spawn
$ spawn
$ @DRa0:[VMS$COMMON.sys$startup]VMS$INITIAL-050_VMS.COM
on the above line subsitute the correct device name for the system disk replacing DRA0

$ set def sys$system
$ run authorize
uaf> mod system/pass=12345678
uaf> exit
$ @sys$system:shutdown

.... and answer the prompts

hope this helps....

Re: Change root password on VAX

Robert Gezelter — Thu, 14 May 2009 13:53:58 GMT

Amaresh,

As noted, the solution is to do a conversational boot, and then redirect the startup to OPA0:.

At the SYSBOOT> prompt:

SYSBOOT> set writesysparams 0
SYSBOOT> set /startup=opa:
SYSBOOT> continue

(The manual suggests turning DECwindows off, but the DECwindows startup will not run before one gets control).

When the "$" prompt comes up, my recommendation is:

$ spawn
$ [sys0.syscommon.sysexe]startup

When the next "$" appears, one has a running system, albeit the console is still on. I then recommend:

$ set default sys$system
$ mcr authorize
AUTHORIZE> mod system/pass=
AUTHORIZE> ^Z

The WRITESYSPARAMS to 0 avoids making the change to the startup file permanent.

- Bob Gezelter, http://www.rlgsc.com

Re: Change root password on VAX

Jon Pinkley — Fri, 15 May 2009 05:56:02 GMT

The instructions Hoff has in

http://labs.hoffmanlabs.com/node/204

are correct. If that is what you followed, you can ignore the rest.

The order of the set commands is significant, and the instructions given by Bob will not have the effect of preventing the changed parameters from being written back to the disk and being made permanent.

Bob>>>The WRITESYSPARAMS to 0 avoids making the change to the startup file permanent

This is true, but the set writesysparams 0 has to be the last command issued prior to the continue, as any changes made reset it to 1. It is as if it always does an implicit set writesysparams 1 immediately before it sets the parameter given in the set command. (I am not sure exactly how it is implemented, but the behavior can be explained by that description)

It should be in this order:

SYSBOOT> set /startup=opa0:
SYSBOOT> set writesysparams 0
SYSBOOT> continue

Show commands have no effect, just set commands.

Try the following:

SYSBOOT> set writesysparams 0
SYSBOOT> set settime 0 ! or any other parameter
SYSBOOT> sho writesysparams ! note that it has now been changed back to 1
Parameter Name Current Default Min. Max. Unit Dynamic
-------------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ---- -------
WRITESYSPARAMS 1 1 0 1 Boolean D

See attachment for a more complete example (where I was changing time back after doing some testing)

I am also not sure why several people have recommended using something other than @SYS$SYSTEM:STARTUP after spawning.

SYS$SYSTEM is already valid when you get to the SYSBOOT> prompt, so why complicate things with sysroots that may or may not be present?

Jon

Re: Change root password on VAX

Robert Gezelter — Fri, 15 May 2009 08:25:32 GMT

Jon,

Thank you for the correction to my typographical error.

You are correct, and I apologize for any confusion caused by the error.

- Bob Gezelter, http://www.rlgsc.com

Re: Change root password on VAX

Hoff — Fri, 15 May 2009 12:39:03 GMT

>When the next "$" appears, one has a running system, albeit the console is still on. I then recommend:

Try the "previous" sequence on a recent OpenVMS Alpha V8.3 workstation box or similar. What happens there is why I've added a DEFINE step to the sequence posted at:

http://labs.hoffmanlabs.com/node/204

In at least some recent releases and configurations, you have to explicitly stop DECwindows from starting. Or it starts.

Now there's the whole question of why SYSBOOT doesn't have a "please change the SYSTEM password" knob and (while we're at it) a "please allow me to register some replacement license PAKs" knob, and entirely avoid the whole need for increasingly arcane DCL incantations, but that's fodder for another discussion.

Re: Change root password on VAX

Swain — Fri, 15 May 2009 13:14:21 GMT

the suggested solutions worked.
Thanks a lot

Amaresh