Root login doesn't work on console

[Debbie Fleith]

We have 3 customers running HP-UX 10.20 on HP 9000 E35 servers with this same problem: Although the root login is valid via telnet, it does not work at the system console.

There is no /etc/securetty file.

What else would cause this problem?

[Rita C Workman]

I have never heard of this situation...Weird.

Have your checked roots' .profile to see if there is something in there that is checking to see if your logging in at the console as opposed to another tty connection...then rejecting the login.

Just a thought,

[Victor BERRIDGE]

Hi,
I agree with Rita it may be root's .profile, I had once something similar, fortunately I had a spare uid 0 account to use, I removed root account and receated it and the problem was solved, it happened twice, the second time I removed .profile and put a fresh one...
No explanation on how it was corrupted...

All the best

Victor

[Volker Borowski]

Hi,
the E35 is quite an old system, my be a key on the terminal you need in the password is defective ? Can you type (with no one behind you) the password correctly to the login prompt ?
Can you login with another user at the console ?
Can you login with root having (of course only shortly) no password (or a password, you can confirm can be typed correctly on the console).

Volker

[Volker Borowski]

oops, one should read better:
3 Customers, diffrent sites, diffrent hardware ?
And same behavior ?

And BTW did YOU set the root password on those machines via telnet by any means (so the passwords are all the same ?) ... ;-)

Check the consoles for 7-Bit Config and use no 8-Bit char in root's password.

I'll bet that's it !
V.

[Victor BERRIDGE]

I forgot to mention it happened once on a E35 and once on an E55...

[Patrick Wallek]

I ran into this at one time as well, when I changed roots passwd to one that contained an @ sign. We were trying to keep passwords the same between some Solaris and HP-UX systems. The Solaris systems didn't have a problem with the @ in the password. The HP did. The login worked via telnet, but not at the console. Apparently the @ is a special character on the HP consoles and as such can not be used in a password. There are some other characters that aren't allowed in a password, but I don't remember right now. I'll see if I can find a document that describes them all.

I would change your password to something like 1234 temporarily and then try logging in from the console again to see if it works.

[Patrick Wallek]

I wasn't able to find exactly what I was looking for. The only document I found said to avoid using the # in a root password. So based on that, I would avoid @ and # in root passwords.

[James R. Ferguson]

Debbie:

Can any user login at the console?

With regard to special characters in passwords, see this thread:

http://my1.itrc.hp.com/cm/QuestionAnswer/1,1150,0xe05068c57f64d4118fee0090279cd0f9,00.html

...JRF...

[Paula J Frazer-Campbell]

Hi Debbie

Where these three server prepared by the same person or ignited from the same image?

Paula

[Rita C Workman]

Patrick...

don't quote me on this but isn't @ considered a metacharacter...??

/rcw

[Doug Brinkman - DRI CMA]

I just ran into this problem and Patrick's answer labeling the password characters @ and # fixed the problem for me.

We had BOTH those characters in our password. I selectively eliminated one, then the other and they both, that is either one of them by itself, failed the login. Thanks Patrick!

[Steve Faidley]

Actually the @ sign resets your typing.
So if your password is; abc123
and while typing in your password you type; avc123
and realize you made a mistake.
You can press the @ to restart typing your password as such; avc123@abc123
The # char is a single backspace. With the same password example as before (abc123);
av#bc123
Will allow the login.

[rmueller58]

i having a similar problem but with any user attempting access via a console..
Can get in via Telnet but not on Console or Web Console.. Help!!