HP-UX 10.20 -> 11.00, can't login on console or remote as any user

[E Elza]

Greetings,
After an all-nighter updating 10.20 to 11.00, I am left completely baffled by my current situation.
The server boots up, goes thru what seems to be a normal startup. However, no matter what username I enter at the Console Login: prompt, it immediately says, "Login incorrect". Can't login as root or any other user, period.
I can boot into single user mode.
This is bizarre. Anyone have any thoughts?

[Pete Randall]

Can you restore /etc/passwd from backup or copy it from some other server?


Pete

[Steve Steel]

Hi

Sounds indeed as though the passwd is shot.

SIngle user
Check it. /usr/sbin/pwck is needed so first mount -a

If bad
cp /etc/passwd /tmp/
cp /usr/newconfig/etc/passwd /etc/passwd

Then start up normally and recover the passwd file.


Steve Steel

[RAC_1]

When you boot into single user mode, check if the file permissions on /etc/passwd , /etc/group.

Check you have telnetd in place with appropriate permissions.

[E Elza]

/etc/passwd is 444, /etc/groups is 444.
/etc is at least world readable.

/usr/sbin/pwck reports that user nobody's group is invalid. (reported group is -2).

telnetd seems okay, this affects the console as well as telnet logins.

just a thought, but couldn't i mess with /etc/inittab to start a root shell on the console when runlevel 3 comes up? i tried to goof around with this a bit, but i kept getting process respawning to fast gah-gah.

[RAC_1]

Try changing any users password and try logging.

Also check telnetd entry in /etc/inetd.conf. It should look as follows.

telnet stream tcp nowait root /usr/lbin/telnetd telnetd

[E Elza]

forgot to report:

after i enter a username at the login prompt, it never asks for a password. it just repeats asking for the login, except for the first time, it says "Login incorrect".

[E Elza]

i changed root's password. still no joy.
i'll try changing an ordinary user's password.

will check telnetd entry /etc/inetd.conf

[Steven E. Protter]

Sometimes when the root filesystem gets clobbered(full) /etc/group gets reduced to zero bytes on 11.00.

You need to run grpck.

You can do this in single user mode as follows:

mount /usr

. .profile

grpck

It appears you don't have a valid group file. So, restore it, even if its an old backup and see what happens.

SEP

[Jeff Schussele]

Hi,

If logins are good from *every* other source than the console, then you have to suspect the console itself.
If this is an HP serial console like a 700/96, then you can reset it back to factory defaults by powering it down & then holding the D key down at power up. Hold it for a few seconds & then release. This may clear up the condition.
If not, try another terminal.

Rgds,
Jeff

[RAC_1]

Once you are in single user mode, do id root.
Check groups associated.

Also grpck.

[doug mielke]

Jeff is right. If you can log in via other methods, then passwd and group files must be okay, unless you are bypassing them with open security as can be done with rlogin.

It's going to turn out to be the console setup. It could be the hardware, say, if it was thrown against the wall during the all nighter. Oterwise, it's somewhat unlikely that it would choose this moment to die.

Look at the set up comms parameters. Speed, parity, data and stop bits. Some of this can be matched with the entries in /etc/inittab for the console. The last enty on the line in that file points to a label in the /etc/gettydefs file, which can give you some speed and command info.

If you post what kind of terminal it is, we should be able to find the comms setup, and the command to enter setup on the terminal.

[Sridhar Bhaskarla]

Hi,

You said you couldn't login on either console or remote as any user?.

If so, what method are you using to login as root and verify the password entries?.

Check /var/adm/syslog/syslog.log for errors. You should get a clue from there.

-Sri

[E Elza]

can't login via telnet. the same thing happens via telnet or on the console.

[doug mielke]

Opps, If condition is the same in telnet, then please disregard my suggestion. Sorry.

[RAC_1]

A wild shot in the dark. What is the size of telnetd?

What are the results of grpck and id root and id user_names command?