Root Password Lost (HP-UX)

[Jason Johnson_2]

How can I get in and reset the root password. I have tried booting into single user mode, but it prompts me to login. Any other way to do this?

[Jean-Luc Oudart]

This subject has been discussed many time

http://forums.itrc.hp.com/cm/QuestionAnswer/1,,0xdb294b3ef09fd611abdb0090277a778c,00.html

http://forums.itrc.hp.com/cm/QuestionAnswer/1,,0xfd75107d277ad611abdb0090277a778c,00.html

Rgds,
Jean-Luc

[Stefan Farrelly]

Hmm, booting to single user mode using hpux -is usually doesnt ask for a login, even on trusted systems I believe. Did you boot, interrupt the boot, boot from boot device and answer Y to interact from IPL then type in;
hpux -is ??

If it did then try LVM maintenance mode (hpux -lm) - this wont ask for a login. Once booted you need to activate vg00 (vgchange -a y vg00), mount /, then edit the passwd file to remove the root password or change it.

[steven Burgess_2]

Jason

Are you sure you have booted to single user from the console

interupt boot sequence
interact with ipl 'y'
hpux -is

You shouldn't get a login prompt

passwd root

HTH

Steve

[Pete Randall]

Jason,

If you're absolutely sure you've followed the proper procedure to boot into single user mode, then check out the second link Jean-Luc pointed out - perhaps it's the password itself.

Pete

[Jason Johnson_2]

Here is what I get after I type hpux -is at the ISL prompt.

INIT: Overriding default level with level "s"

Boot Authentication:

Please enter your login name:

Did someone at my shop set a boot password for the system? If so, how can I disable or change it so I may know the username/password used?

[Sridhar Bhaskarla]

Jason,

Looks like you are running a trusted system and enabled the option to prompt for password even in single user mode.

Now, you are left with no other option except to boot the system from support CD. Basically you boot from support CD, mount "root" logical volume, edit /tcb/files/auth/r/root entry and delete the encrypted string after u_pwd.

Look at the following document to boot from support CD.

Step 3 is what you would need to do. It has a section also to delete a trusted systems password.

http://www2.itrc.hp.com/service/cki/docDisplay.do?docLocale=en_US&docId=200000063236535

-Sri

[Sridhar Bhaskarla]

Hi (again),

I forgot, after recovering from Support CD, make sure you run SAM and do the following

SAM-> Auding and Security ->
System Security Policies ->
General User Accoutn Policies ->
Request Login Policies

De-select Required Login upon single user there if you are sure you would lose root password again.

Otherwise, leave it selected. Good for security.

-Sri

[Sridhar Bhaskarla]

Hi,

I am sorry for one more message. I didn't get the version of HP-UX you are using. If it is 11.0, there is no support CD, you will need to use Install CD to boot the system. Do not interact with ISL. After booting it will ask to select three options 1. Install HP-UX 2. Run Recovery shell 3. Advanced installation. Select Run recovery shell. Rest of the steps should be the same.

-Sri

[steven Burgess_2]

Hi

I have found a thread and a reply from wodisch

attach another SCSI-device with the same ID as your boot disk (to the boot SCSI-channel), toggle the power, get a SCSI-ID-conflict and thus turn off the boot_admin secure mode :-(

HTH

Steve

[Wodisch]

Hi Jason,

you might try to boot the "core and install" CD-ROM, to get a "maintainance shell". From there use "passwd root" to change your root password. Then "reboot" from your harddisk...

HTH,
Wodisch

[MANOJ SRIVASTAVA]

Hi

You need to boot from the core OS cd and then change the root passwd , then you can reboot the system .


Manoj Srivastava

[Jason Johnson_2]

When I am prompted to type: chroot_lvmdisk, I get the following errors:
-----
ERROR: map_root_lv: is not supported in this release of UNIX.

ERROR: not init & not in test mode!
------

I am running ver 11.0. I am using the directions from the following link supplied:

http://www1.itrc.hp.com/service/cki/docDisplay.do?docLocale=en_US&admit=-682735245+1034185752576+28353475&docId=200000063236535

Thanks.

[Sridhar Bhaskarla]

Hi Jason,

Which CD did you use?. 11.0 should support chroot_lvmdisk utility. The problem is that we don't do it often so I do not remember the steps well. Here is the official document from HP to boot through install/recovery CD. Try it.

Go to IT resource center and click on search knowledge base. Select "search by doc.id" and type in OZBEKBRC00000582.

Try with another CD of different release.

There is one more method if you can move the root disk to another system. Then you can import the volume group there, mount only / file system on some temporary directory (/temp_dir) and edit /temp_dir/tcb/files/auth/r/root and delete the password entry.

-Sri