Forgot the root password

[Logan Ramasamy]

One of our system was shutdown for a year. Our System Admin left without informing anybody about the root password. How do I start the system in single user mode and reset/ change the root password. Thanks.

[Santosh Nair_1]

Power up the machine, interrupt the boot process. Then boot off your primary boot disk and say yes when asked if you want to interact with the ISL. At the ISL prompt, type in hpux -iS. This will boot up the system into single user mode. At the prompt, change the root password using the passwd command.

-Santosh

[Uday_S_Ankolekar]

Hi,

1.Power On the System
2. Interrupt Bootting process (Press a Key in 10 sec)
3. Yes for interacting ISL
4. hpux -iS for Single user mode
5 passwd command for changing root password

Good Luck
-USA...

[Sanjay_6]

Hi Logan,

To boot the system in single user mode, you have to interrupt the boot process. At the boot prompt, type

bo pri

This will boot the system from the primary path. Select "Y" to interact with IPL. At the IPL prompt type "hpux -is"
IPL>hpux -is

This will boot the system in single user mode and you can use the "passwd" command to set the new password.

Hope this helps.

Thanks

[Logan Ramasamy]

I tried starting in single user mode and change the root password. It gave an error msg, when typed in "passwd root" command, not an isl command. Thanks.

[linuxfan]

Hi Logan,

Looks like a busy day ;-)

Another thing you could do is back up the password file (cp /etc/passwd /etc/passwd.bk) and then edit the password file and remove the encrypted passwd for root.


-Ramesh

[Sanjay_6]

Hi Logan,

The passwd command will work only once the system is booted in to single user mode. Did your system boot into single user mode. At the IPL prompt you have to type "hpux -is" to boot the system into single user mode. Once into single user mode you can change the password.

first type "bo pri" after interrupting the boot process when the system says press any key within 10 seconds to interrupt the boot process. It will ask you whether you want to interact with IPL, select "Y" It will boot and come to the IPL> prompt. At the ipl prompt type "hpux -is". This will boot the system into single user mode.

thanks

[Logan Ramasamy]

It is not only a busy day, it is long too for a oracle DBA to figure out things in the absence of Unix Admin. I did exactly the same as per your suggestions. The sequence is

Autoboot from primary path enabled.
To override, press any key within 10 secs.

I pressed Esc key.

Boot from primary boot path (Y or N?) Y
Interact with IPL (Y or N?) Y

ISL>hpux -is
ISL> passwd

Not an isl command or utility.

What am I doing wrong? Thanks for the help.

[James R. Ferguson · Accepted solution]

Hi Logan:

ISL> hpux -is boot

...then when in single-user mode:

# /sbin/passwd

Regards!

...JRF...

[Logan Ramasamy]

Hi JRF,

Now it says, Isl command or utility name exceeds 10 characters. Thanks.