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From: gws@xenitec.on.ca (Geoff Scully)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.i386
Subject: Re: Terminal Database login problem ( again )
Summary: Duplicate files...
Keywords: terminal login database
Message-ID: <1990Jul19.142804.5702@xenitec.on.ca>
Date: 19 Jul 90 14:28:04 GMT
References: <103961@convex.convex.com>
Reply-To: gws@xenitec.on.ca (Geoff Scully)
Followup-To: comp.unix.i386
Distribution: na
Organization: XeniTec Consulting Services, Kitchener, ON, Canada
Lines: 46

In article <103961@convex.convex.com> kemp@convex1.convex.com (Phil Kemp) writes:
>
>I caught the end of a thread last week about SCO UNIX failing to allow
>logins due to corruption of the terminal database. This bug has bite
>me twice now and I would like to know if anyone has further info on the
>details of this corruption. The first time I tried to reboot I couldn't
>get the system back up. I had to re-install from scratch. ( Well the
>base system, anyway... ). The problem has re-occurred and I am not able
>to check it out immediately. Please post as I'm not sure how well my
>mail is going to work this week :-( ....
>

The problem is with the files /etc/auth/system/ttys*.

There should be only on file in /etc/auth/system named ttys. When
multiple login-logouts occur too rapidly a working file named either
ttys-t or ttys-s will also reside in /etc/auth/system. You don't mention
what version of SCO UNIX you are running, so some of the following may
not apply. 

If you are running 3.2.1 or later, or if you have the 3.2.0 upgrade
(unx146?? my memory fails me) for this problem, you should have a line in
/etc/default/login that says

OVERRIDE=tty01

or something like it. If this is the case you should be able to log in on
tty01 and correct the problem by examining the files in /etc/auth/system.
One of ttys, ttys-t or ttys-s will be a current version of your tty
database, the others will either be incomplete or empty. Make sure the
complete one ends up in /etc/auth/system/ttys and remove all others. You
should now be able to log in on any tty.

If the OVERRIDE feature is not available to you, first you should call
SCO support and get them to send the appropriate "unx???" disk to you.
You will likely have to shutdown hard if you are not logged in somewhere
as root when it happens. Bring the system back up from your boot+root
floppies and mount the hdroot filesystem on the floppy. Follow the same
procedure as above to remove the extra ttys files from /etc/auth/system.

Hope this helps...

			--g
----
Geoff Scully                    Support Services -- XeniTec Consulting Services
Internet: gws@xenitec.on.ca		   UUCP: ..!{uunet!}watmath!xenitec!gws