root user is unable to login, but able to login as ordinary user & did a su -

[Srekandan CR]

Console Login: root
Password:
Login incorrect
Wait for login retry: ..
login: test
Password:
Last successful login for test: Wed Apr 22 18:24:56 IST-5:30 2009 on console
Last unsuccessful login for test: Tue Mar 31 12:06:21 2009
Your password will expire on Mon May 4 14:56:07 IST-5:30 2009
Please wait...checking for disk quotas


==========================

==> checked /etc/securetty file, console line is commented.

testdb:/#cat /etc/securetty
#console

==> checked inetd.sec file & seems to be everything is ok.
=========================================
testdb:/#cat /var/adm/inetd.sec
# @(#)B11.23_LRinetd.sec $Revision: 1.10.214.1 $ $Date: 96/10/08 13:20:06 $
#
#
# The lines in the file contain a service name, permission field and
# the Internet addresses or names of the hosts and/or networks
# allowed to use that service in the local machine.
# The form for each entry in this file is:
#
#
#
# For example:
#
# login allow 10.3-5 192.34.56.5 ahost anetwork
#
# The above entry allows the following hosts to attempt to access your system
# using rlogin:
# hosts in subnets 3 through 5 in network 10,
# the host with Internet Address of 192.34.56.5,
# the host by the name of "ahost",
# all the hosts in the network "anetwork"
#
# mountd deny 192.23.4.3
#
# The mountd entry denies host 192.23.4.3 access to the NFS rpc.mountd
# server.
#
# Hosts and network names must be official names, not aliases.
# See the inetd.sec(4) manual page for more information.
dtspc allow 127.0.0.1 loopback ignite testdb
testdb:/#

=================================

==> it is trusted system. Have a policy that password will expire every 45 days, password minimum length should be 8 characters with atleast one number & one special character.

==> After doing a su - , changed the root users password recently, but unable to login.

[Sajjad Sahir]

Dear

This is due to the passwd issue, u have to reset the root passwd from co option from console.

thanks and regards

Sajjad

[Mark Fenton · Accepted solution]

per the manpage for login(1)

On a trusted system, login allows superuser to log in on the console
unless /etc/securetty exists and does not contain console.

you need to uncomment 'console' in the securetty file, or remove the file entirely to allow root to log onto the console directly.

[Bill Hassell]

The securetty file does not recognize comments so every line is meaningful. In your case, root is only allowed to login from the device file: /dev/#console (which is the same as no login allowed by root from any connection). The same effect will be seen if you put /dev/console in the securetty file. The authentication routines will add /dev/ and now root is only allowed to login from /dev/dev/console (which doesn't exist). Remove the /etc/securetty file if you do not want to restrict root logins.

[Avinash20]

# mv /etc/securetty /etc/securetty.old
# swverify \*

> Check for any permission problem in
/usr/lib/security

[Avinash Agarkar]

Hi,

Their is one more option availabel to this issue.

If you system is trusted

go to below directory

/tcb/files/auth/r

do ls -ltr you will see a file name with root
make acopy of that file

do

vi root

you will see pwd word in 2 line so after "=" sign use "dw" command in vi so it will delete that word, then save the file and exit.

Then run become sudo

and run /sbin/passwd root

it will directory ask for the new passwd.

enter the new passwd..

Enjoy
Avinasha

[Srekandan CR]

Thank for all. The issue resolved after renaming the /etc/securetty file.

[Srekandan CR]

Thank for all. The issue resolved after renaming the /etc/securetty file.