cannot change root password current password is known

[Tim Nelson]

I have looked and looked so I apologize if the answer is already in the forum.
HPUX 11i running trusted password database. Attempting to change the root password. I know the current password as I can telnet or su to root no problem. When I attempt to change the password it asks for Old Password: but will not accept the known good one. Any ideas ? Any help is appreciated.

[harry d brown jr · Accepted solution]

If you don't currently have a root session you will need to shut the system down into single user mode and modify the passwd.

[Mark Vollmers]

Try to log on as root from the console and change it. Maybe it is having a problem with the telnet session. If not, go to single user mode like Harry said.

mark

[Tim Nelson]

Found it.. This is interesting. the old password is 9 characters in lenth. This password works for logging in a su'ing. If I attempt to use the 9 characters when prompted for Old Password during a password change the system will not take it. If I enter 8 characters it works. For example: current password is password1. This works just fine for login. If I enter password1 for Old Password during a change it will not accept it. If I user password ( chop off 1 ). The system accepts this and allows me to enter a new password. The default max lenth is set to 16 as I look in SAM. I am currently testing the /etc/security/defaults syntax to see if this has a different effect. Could SAM be wrong ? ( SAM has never led anyone astray before :) ) I will repost if I find the real answer. Thanks for the other ideas. Don't forget. This is not Microsoft. We don't reboot every 2 minutes.

[John G. Rosenberg]

Was the old password set before you converted your system to trusted mode? I had this happen in HP-UX 10.20. When we converted to a trusted system, it truncated all passwords on the system to the first 8 characters of the password.