Root user access through telnet

[Sreeni Janapati]

Hi,

We are using the OS HP/UX 10.2. and got the strange problem recently.
Earlier, I used to use the root user thro telnet to access the system. Now, if
I use root user and password to access the system thro telnet, it is saying
"login incorrect". But it is allowing the same root user and password from the
console to access the system. Other users are accessing the system thro telnet
except root. Please help me. What could have happened? and What needs to be
done in order to access the system using root thro telnet?

Thanks
Sreeni

[Dan Hull]

What are you using to access it through telnet? Can no one telnet in as root,
or just you? Have you tried it from another system or with a different program?

If telnet as root is disabled (i.e. through the securetty file), I don't think
it will say "incorrect password", but rather something about not being allowed
(though I'm not positive).

It seems more likely that there is something about the root password that is
not working from your terminal emulator. Can you su to root? Try changing the
root password to something simple (with no special chars if possible) and try
again, just to rule out one possibility.

[Melvyn Burnard_1]

I believe you may have a /etc/securetty file, this denies anyone from directly
logging in as root from anywhere that is NOT specified in this file. It will
respond with the error you see, as though you had typed the password
incorrectly.
You should be able to telnet in as a normal user, and then do
su -
to become the super-user.

[Sreeni Janapati]

Dan,

First of all, there is no /etc/securetty file in the system. I am able to su
to root after login as a normal user thro telnet. When I enter root username
and password thro telnet, it says "Login incorrect". Thanks for helping me in
this issue.

Sreeni.

[Willaim Hart]

the /etc/securetty file would create the symptoms you have described. this file
can be a null file.
the only other items that could possibly cause this are if you have converted
to trusted systems or clustered systems. check your system documentation for
further information, such as the .rhosts and host.equiv files for trusted
systems.

[Dan Hull]

Maybe the problem is possibly with your terminal emulator? Does the password
have any special characters? Sometimes when you telnet in, the terminal mode
isn't set right before you actually log in and this causes strange problems.
You didn't specify if you are telneting in from a different HPUX system or a PC
or what, so I don't know if you are even on a terminal emulator...

Try logging in as root at the console and then telnet into the system as root
from that session.

[Sreeni Janapati]

Dan,

I am trying normal telnet from windowsNT and emulation is vt100. And root
password doesn't have any special characters. I have tried to logging from
telnet session after and before logging at the console as root. But still it
says "Login Incorrect". Some how it is denying the access of root from the
telnet session. Please help me if have any ideas.

Thanks
Sreeni

[Vince Arends]

Does your NT PC have a host file in it somewhere that is maybe pointing you to a machine other than where you think you are going?

[James Lynch]

Sounds like your root login has been disabled due to greater than 3 incorrect login attempts. Even if it is disabled, you can still login from the console, but nowhere else.

Do you have trusted system security enabled? You can tell by the existence of the /tcb directory. If /tcb is there, then trusted system is enabled. If so then you need to use SAM and reactivate the root login.