Account disabled - please help

[enrico.nic]

Hi

I've just set a small password expiration policy on the hp-ux server, through sam. I remember I didn't set the option "Expire all accounts now", and after that I did a logout.
Now, and I don't understand why, every account has been disabled - not expired, disabled.
I tried to login as root from the console, but I obtain an error after giving the right password:

Console Login: root
Password:
Account is disabled but console login is allowed.
Last successful login for root: Wed Jun 8 09:10:18 MET-1METDST 2005 on conso
Last unsuccessful login for root: Wed Jun 8 10:18:22 MET-1METDST 2005 on conso
Your password has expired.
Choose a new password.
Changing password for root
Old password:
Sorry.
Login aborted due to no password.

I tried 3 or 4 times, but at the prompt "Old password" I gave the right password, at least once.

Please help

[MarkSyder · Accepted solution]

Unless someone can come up with a better idea I think you're going to have to reboot in single user mode and reset the root password.

Mark Syder (like the drink but spelt different)

[Joseph Loo]

hi,

to enable account from console:

# /usr/lbin/modprpw -k root

however, if u have problem even accessing from console after login. u may have to reboot to single user mode and change the root password.

regards.

[Suraj Singh_1]

Hi,

Can you logon to the system as some other user, and then su to root?

If not, then the only option i see is to boot the system in single user mode, and change the root's password.

Interrupt the boot process, interact with ISL, and give hpux -is

Regards

[Victor BERRIDGE]

Hi,
You seem to be in little trouble dear friend,
just to clarify:
What OS are you running,
We agree your system is trusted, yes?

One more point that can make a difference is there still anyone there with an open connection?

Last Who else know the root passwd?
It might look silly but I was caught once while doing some tasks on a trusted system, that someone changed the passwd WITHOUT saying anything, you can imagine what follows...

Waiting for your reply

All the best
Victor

[Simon Hargrave]

Do you run IT/O in your environment? If so you may be able to create or use an IT/O application to run a root shell on that server to run the modprpw commands you require, without a single-user reboot.

[enrico.nic]

Unfortunately nobody is logged in interactively.

Oracle has been shut down, from the enetrprise manager of a client.
Samba is active, but I can stop its processes through SWAT.
Webmin is active - but I think it cannot be used for a clean shutdown.

I had a "shutdown user" that could log on only from the console, but on an old machine ...


Thank you for all your suggestions

Enrico

[enrico.nic]

Unfortunately nobody is logged in interactively.

Oracle has been shut down, from the enetrprise manager of a client.
Samba is active, but I can stop its processes through SWAT.
Webmin is active - but I think it cannot be used for a clean shutdown.

I had a "shutdown user" that could log on only from the console, but on an old machine ...

I am running HP-UX 11.11 in trusted mode.

Thank you for all your suggestions

Enrico

[Amit Agarwal_1]

Do you have a .rhosts entry for any user on this system. Try rlogin in that case.

[Mobeen_1]

Enrico,
Since you don't have any interactive logins on your system now, i would think the best bet under the given circumstances would be to boot up your system in single user mode and follow the procedure for gaining root access as posted in some prior posts.

regards
Mobeen

[Muthukumar_5]

The problem occured bcas your root account password age is expired. It prompted for old password but you typed wrong one. root account is disabled except console login.

Try to reboot machine in single user mode that is stop at prompt and boot as hpux -is mode.

change the passwd there and disable the lock to root account.

hth.

[enrico.nic]

Ok, thank you for all your replies.

I've finally followed the following steps:
- stopped Oracle, samba and mysql processes (respectively, through enterprise manager, swat and webmin)
- performed a brute shutdown
- started in single user mode
- fsck'ed and mounted all file systems
- removed and reentered the root password, re-enabled the root account (modprpw -k)
- reboot

What remains absolutely unclear for me is the answer of the system after the previous (attempted) logon:

Changing password for root
Old password:
Sorry.
Login aborted due to no password.

Again, thank you all for the prompt replies

Enrico

[Devesh Pant_1]

I am hoping things are okay now. But if for some reason modprpw had issues, you could edit the /tcb/files/auth/r/root file and changed deleted everything on the line :u_pwd between the characters "=" and ":\" ( ignore the double quotes)
eg:
:u_pwd=Dafs5Dk.4fHmsdbUuNs:\ can be made

:u_pwd=:\

and after this you can easily change the password for root

thanks
Devesh

[Devender Khatana]

Hi,

The reason for this prompt was because your system is a trusted one. Whenever you change passwd in trusted system it asks for old password. But I am also unclear about "no passwd" Did not you type old password or even after typing old password this message came ?

HTH,
Devender