Can't change password in sam

[Energen Unix Admin]

I have an HP-UX B.11.00 A 9000/889 server on which I cannot change a user's password via sam as root and via a restricted sam as a user. (It works fine using passwd as root.) When I select Actions and Modify User's password, it never brings up another window. It worked up until a few weeks ago.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

Karl Allen Swelling
Alabama Gas Corporation
an Energen company

[RAC_1]

Check /var/sam/samlog. --> not sure, but it has a log file.

Check what action it takes you click on modify users password.

Check with samlog_viewer.

[Helen French]

Open SAM and look at the log file with sam log viewer. Check and see if it gives you an error about the problem.

[Geno Church_1]

Karl,

Are you using hpterm as the xwindow term type? If so, try checking the /usr/bin/X11/hpterm file. If this file is zero bytes, try coping one from another source and overwrite this one and try again.

[Energen Unix Admin]

I am using Reflections X, and I do not see an error in the samlog, as follows:

[/var/sam/log/samlog]
@!@8@1070915017@0
Exiting Task Manager with task UG_ICOUNT_GROUPS.
@!@8@1070915017@0
Exiting Task Manager with task UG_GET_OLE_USERS.
@!@2@1070915024@0
Executing the following command:\C/usr/bin/echo "Executing passwd(1) command
to set password for user kswellin";/usr/bin/passwd kswellin\C
@!@2@1070915024@0
Command completed with exit status 1.

In this example, I am trying to change kswellin's password, but it never happens. It does not display the other window.

Thanks.

-- Karl

[Roboz]

Not quite sure if this will help but let me ask you the question anyway.
Are you running the full SAM utility (while logged in as root) or is this sam session a restricted SAM session on a standard user?
If you are running restricted sam then there may be a permission issue updating the passwd file.

[T G Manikandan]

Try loading the latest SAM patch

http://www1.itrc.hp.com/service/patch/patchDetail.do?BC=patch.breadcrumb.main|patch.breadcrumb.search|&patchid=PHCO_27375&context=hpux:800:11:00

[Energen Unix Admin]

The latest SAM patch does not address my problem. I am not using shadow passwords or NIS. This has been working, but it just stopped. Now I cannot change a password via sam as root nor via a restricted sam as a regular user.

[RAC_1]

There is command - usermod.sam.

(may be in /usr/sam/lbin/usermod.sam or something similar)

It takes password as argument.

/usr/sam/lbin/usermod.sam -F -p "" user_name

This will null-out the password for user, then try chaning it from SAM/commandline

[Paula J Frazer-Campbell]

Hi

Programmes do not normally just stop - check in samlog for the last time it worked and what has changed since then.

Try creating a new tempory root level user - log in as them and try a sam passwd change, remember to delete this temp root level user.

Check syslog.log for errors after trying a sam passwd change.

Use tusc and attach to the sam session and watch for errors.

What happens if you try this at the console?

Paula

[Energen Unix Admin]

I ran ./usermod.sam -p "" kswellin to set a blank password, and I was able to login with the blank password. I then logged in as root and ran sam. When I tried to change kswellin's password via Actions and Modify User's password, it still does not bring up another window.

So I ran "passwd kswellin" and was successful in changing my password. The reason I need to be able to use sam is that we have someone here who uses a restricted sam to change passwords. I really do not care that root cannot use sam to change passwords, but if we got it to work for root, it would probably start working for the restricted sam user.

Thanks.

--Karl

[RAC_1]

The sam log gives exit status 1. That means there is some problem.

Post
passwd -l user_name

ll `which passwd` --> from working machine
ll `which passwd` --> from machine where you have a problem.

[Jeff Schussele]

Hi Karl,

Have you checked the integrity of the /etc/passwd file?

Run the check command

#pwck

If there's corruption in that file - any user's defined past it will have trouble as the file is scanned top-down.

HTH,
Jeff

[Energen Unix Admin]

I now have more information:

Using Reflextions X logged in as root on my Windows desktop, the change password box does NOT display.

Using Reflextions X logged in as a restricted sam user on their Windows desktop, the change password box does NOT display.

Using GNOME logged in as root on my RHLinux9 laptop, the sam hpterm change password box does display.

[Geno Church_1]

Karl,

How are you logging in via reflectionsX? Are you logging in via CDE (Common Desktop Environment) or are you using REFX as an x emulator and setting your display within a telnet window to your local windows ip?

[Energen Unix Admin]

Via Reflections X on 3 different PCs, I opened a direct XDMCP conection to the HP-UX box and started sam. I also made a direct XDMCP connection to both a Sun Solaris 8 and Red Hat Linux 8 box, telnetted to the HP-UX box, set the DISPLAY, and started sam. On all of these Reflection X connections, the change password box would NOT display.

Via my Red Hat Linux 9 laptop, I telnetted to the HP-UX box, set the DISPLAY, and started sam. The change password box will display on this one.

[Energen Unix Admin]

BTW, I cannot test on the console of the HP-UX box because it is just a text-only terminal.

[Geno Church_1]

Karl,

I need you to tell me what size the file hpterm is within the directory /usr/bin/X11. Just do an ll -al on /usr/bin/X11/hpterm and copy and paste the return within your reply. Thanks!

[Energen Unix Admin]

ll -l /usr/bin/X11/hpterm
-r-sr-sr-x 1 root sys 299008 Feb 25 2000

[Geno Church_1]

Karl,

You said it worked up until a couple of weeks ago. Has anything changed on the server or within the environment they we might can pinpoint as a root cause. Also are you using NIS+ or DNS for name resolution within your network?

[Energen Unix Admin]

We are using DNS and not using NIS. I can't think of anything that has changed on this server or on the network in the past few months. But why can I now only get it to run from a Linux PC and not from a Windows PC running Reflection X?

[Energen Unix Admin]

Any more suggestions why the change password box will only display from the Linux PC and not from the Windows PC running Reflections X?

[A. Clay Stephenson]

My best guess is that Reflection X is missing fonts (or connection to a fontserver) that Linux either has or is using itself as a fontserver. You might check to see if the fontserver is running on your host.

[Energen Unix Admin]

I can still use Reflections X to change passwords on another HP-UX server. How do I determine that the fontserver is running on this HP-UX server?

[A. Clay Stephenson]

"ps -ef | grep xfs" works for me.