Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!apple!oliveb!amdahl!rtech!friday!sid
From: sid@friday.rtech.COM (Sid Shapiro)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: passwd file corrupted
Message-ID: <3027@rtech.rtech.com>
Date: 27 Jun 89 23:20:00 GMT
References: <664@sumax.UUCP> <8906271706.AA22357@cscwam.UMD.EDU>
Sender: news@rtech.rtech.com
Reply-To: sid@friday.UUCP (Sid Shapiro)
Organization: Relational Technology, Inc.
Lines: 23

In article <8906271706.AA22357@cscwam.UMD.EDU> stripes@wam.UMD.EDU writes:
>In article <664@sumax.UUCP> vanmane@sumax.UUCP (Mohan Vanmane) writes:
>[stuff deleted]
>>How can I bring this machine down to administrative mode so that I can
>>change the password file?
>>
>>vanmane%sumax.uucp@beaver.cs.washington.edu
>Since nobody else can get on you don't need to go into single user mode :-)

I'd say that he doesn't know the root passwd so he can't change it
without being logged in as root, but since he doesn't know it the only
way to do it is to go into single user.

There should be a keyswitch on the fron of the machine.  Turn it off,
then to "remote" (it may not be "remote", but normally it turned
clockise as far as it can go.  Turn off, then back on such that it is
one click to the counter-clockwise of normal.)  This will bring you up
in "administrative" mode (single user in ct-ese).  You will probably
have to figur out where the real root is and mount it, then you can
edit the passwd file.

Good luck - those machines are a bitch.
/ Sid /