Delay with login when typing wrong password

[Chris Jones_1]

Using HP-UX 11.0 with Trusted System active, when logging in through telnet and entering a wrong password there is a delay of between 10-20 seconds before the login prompt returns.

This is not the same behaviour on another system that is not trusted.

Since users frequently type the wrong password there is a real noticable delay in the login sequence.

Any ideas how this delay can be eliminated?

Thanks

Chris

[Andrew_4]

You can use SAM to adjust this :

Auditing and Security
System Security Policies
Terminal Security Policies
Unsuccessful Login Tries Allowed: 1
Delay Between Login Tries (sec.): 2


hope this helps !

Andrew

[Chris Jones_1]

Thanks for the quick response, however, I am still getting about 8 seconds delay between entering the password and receiving the message to say the login was wrong:
UX:login: ERROR: Login incorrect

[Andrew_4]

Hmm...

I guess you could be experiencing a delay if you're using NIS/NIS+ to lookup your passwd file... or some other password Authentication method.

What is your password entry in /etc/nsswitch.conf ???

Andrew

[Chris Jones_1]

We are not using NIS/NIS+ on the system and there is no nsswitch.conf file under /etc.

Any other suggestions?

Chris

[Manuel P. Ron]

Surely, your problem is there is not /etc/nsswitch.conf configured. Create the file by sam or using vi editor. Add a line like this...
passwd: files [NOTFOUND=return UNAVAIL=return]
Put file permissions to 444 and owned by root and sys group!.

[Chris Jones_1]

Manuel

I followed your suggestion and created the file. Now I can't login as any user (including root from the console).

I removed the file from an existing session, but this does not clear the problem.

Help.

[Chris Jones_1]

I removed the nsswitch.conf file and rebooted.
System is back!

Now, if we don't use NIS, I assume this file is not useful?

I still have an 8 sec. delay between entering a wrong password and getting a login prompt back.

[George_14]

I had similar problem. What I did was I've modified the /etc/nsswitch.conf file.
Initial entry in my nsswitch.conf file was
hosts: files [TRYAGAIN=return NOTFOUND=return] dns
I've changed this to the following.
hosts: files [TRYAGAIN=continue NOTFOUND=continue] dns
You may check the /etc/resolv.conf file to see whether the entries are correct.

[Chris Jones_1]

George

Is this really applicable, even if NIS is not running.

Chris

[Chris Jones_1]

George

Is this really applicable, even if NIS is not configured/running.

Chris

[George_14]

I assume that you've DNS server to resolv the the host names. If your DNS entry is not correct in the /etc/resolv.conf it takes a while to get your login prompt. You can also change the order of you DNS server entry in the resolv.conf file. Why don't you try it. It worked for me.

[Manuel P. Ron]

Chris. You are not using the passwd file, I see. You must have configured other access method for your users. But you can't use NIS/NIS+ with Trusted Systems because your passwords are not longer contained in the /etc/passwd file. Have you tried to change the password of a user and then login?