Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!infonode!ingr!b11!rebels!sivesh
From: b23b!rebels!sivesh@ingr.com (sivesh pradhaan)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: Lost Root password.
Message-ID: <1991Feb28.153115.12742@b11.ingr.com>
Date: 28 Feb 91 15:31:15 GMT
References: <1839@netmbx.UUCP> <4460011@hpindda.cup.hp.com>
Sender: @b11.ingr.com
Reply-To: b23b!rebels!sivesh@ingr.com (sivesh pradhaan)
Organization: Intergraph Corp. Huntsville, AL
Lines: 27

In article <4460011@hpindda.cup.hp.com>, spero@hpindda.cup.hp.com (Spero Kouloures) writes:
|> > I've got a problem.
|> >
|> > ... We've (well they) lost the root password! ...
|> 
|> While this has never happened to me :-) a procedure which we use
|> all the time for fixing corrupt systems it to take the hard disk
|> from the "bad" system,  connect it to another working system,
|> fsck and mount it, then edit any files which require changes
|> (i.e. /etc/passwd).
|> 
|> Good Luck,
|> 
|> Spero Koulouras

 This indeed is the quickest and easiest way of recovering, but there is an 
"official" way of doing this. It is described in the Sys. Adm. guide (sys v 
AT&T). According to it, you need to take your system to firmware mode,enter the
firmware passwd and execute /unix. Now login as root (!!) and restore your "/"
file system from backups. Some files are saved in /usr/old too, so take a peek
in there as well. Set the passwd for root and you are all set!!!

I am not sure if this is a standerd way of recovering from a forgotten root 
passwd situation or not, but you may give it a shot.


-Sivesh