Can not login as root remotely and in the console/server

[Bart Paulusse]

What happens when you start /sbin/sh
Does that return any errors?

[Bart Paulusse]

Is /sbin/sh listed in file /etc/shells ?

[monster00]

is it like exec /sbin/sh ??

[monster00]

dont have /etc/shells

[Bart Paulusse]

Try to start /shin/sh by just entering /sbin/sh
Create file /etc/shells with contents:
/sbin/sh
/usr/bin/sh
/usr/bin/rsh
/usr/bin/ksh
/usr/bin/rksh
/usr/bin/csh
/usr/bin/keysh

this is the same list of valid shells the system wil use if no /etc/shells file is present but it can't hurt to try...

Have you setup sudo on your system?
If yes, try to sudo vi /etc/passwd, change root's shell to the one that is working for your current user. When you can su to root then, run a "swverify \*"

Remember to set root's shell back to /sbin/sh this is very important!

[monster00]

can't create /etc/shells coz its not root..
can't write under /etc

haven't set up sudo...

[Suraj K Sankari]

Hi,

Don't you have console access ?
If not ask some one to create that file (/etc/shell) who is access to console.

Suraj

[monster00]

i think not.. only the root has an access right.. so does it mean i have to reinstall the OS?

[Robert-Jan Goossens]

could you post the output of

# file /sbin/sh
# file /usr/bin/sh

Regards,
Robert-Jan

[monster00]

$ file /sbin/sh
/sbin/sh: ELF-32 executable object file - IA64
$ file /usr/bin/sh
/usr/bin/sh: ELF-32 executable object file - IA64


thanks