Diskless question

[Arthur Chance]

On 04/24/13 13:45, Bernt Hansson wrote:
>
>
> 2013-04-24 13:21, Arthur Chance skrev:
>> On 04/24/13 11:55, Bernt Hansson wrote:
>>> 2013-04-24 12:30, Arthur Chance skrev:
>>>> On 04/24/13 09:18, Bernt Hansson wrote:
>>>>> Hello list!
>>>>>
>>>>> I have set up a diskless machine with 8.3-stable and i as a user can
>>>>> log
>>>>> in, but when I try to log in as root it won't work. How to resolv that
>>>>> issue. I have tried with and without password but the computer said
>>>>> no.
>>>>
>>>> How did it say no? What does the entry for root in /etc/passwd say?
>>>
>>> $su
>>> Sorry
>>>
>>> root:*:0:0:Charlie &:/root:/bin/csh
>>
>>
>> That's not logging in directly as root, that's using su as a normal
>> user. Only members of wheel group can use su. Try logging in directly on
>> the console as root. That should work unless you've marked the console
>> as insecure or have an "impossible" password in /etc/master.passwd.
>
> I am a member of the wheel group.

Curious, I would have expected the su to work. Time for a quick look at 
the source.

>> In the long run you need to add your normal user to wheel group so you
>> can use su. Can you edit the diskless machine's /etc/group from the
>> server that's supplying its disk(s)? In the days when I ran diskless
>> systems I usually found it easier to work on the diskless systems'
>> config files via the server.
>>
> I have tried and my own password is easily changed via the server.
>
> if i try, on the diskless,
>
> Login: root
> Password: password or none
>
> Login incorrect

As I mentioned in another post, have you got a valid looking password 
field in /etc/master.passwd or just a '*'? Valid fields tend to look 
something like $2a$04$<XXX> or $6$<XXX> where <XXX> is a lot of base64 
encoded data.

Looking in the source for su there are three places that generate 
"Sorry". They all send messages to syslog. Is there a "BAD SU" entry in 
your /var/log/auth.log or a PAM related error in /var/log/messages 
and/or on the console?

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