Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!rex!ukma!dftsrv!mimsy!nocusuhs!nmrdc1!minixug!pa3ebv!peter
From: peter@pa3ebv.nl.mugnet.org (Peter J. de Vrijer)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: passwd file
Message-ID: <9104268106@pa3ebv.nl.mugnet.org>
Date: 26 Apr 91 09:09:49 GMT
References: <1991Apr23.030431.3481@skypod.uucp>
Lines: 24

In article <1991Apr23.030431.3481@skypod.uucp>, marc@skypod.uucp (Marc Fournier) wrote:
> 	Why won't my passwd file keep any new accounts?  If I reboot, the
> passwd file resets to the original values.  Is there anyway around this
> or something I'm forgetting to do?
Yes you are. At boot time the image of the root device is loaded from a
floppydisk (partition of harddisk) to /dev/ram. /dev/ram is then used as
root device. Any changes to the 'passwd' file will go into /dev/ram.
But if you reboot the old image is again loaded into /dev/ram.

Solution: After changing 'passwd' (or anything else in /dev/ram) put the
root disk in drive 0 and do
cp /dev/ram /dev/fd0
You then have a new root image when you reboot. 

> BTW, I'm still on floppy's.  Does that make any difference?
The same applies when you have the root image on a partition of your
harddisk. I think this is the case with PH 1.5 Minix.

Regards from Peter.

Peter J. de Vrijer           |  UUCP: peter@pa3ebv.nl.mugnet.org
Tel: +31 38 660735           |  packet radio: peter@pa3ebv.ampr.org 
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8014 PL Zwolle               |  "And yet I'm happy,
The Netherlands              |   I can't figure it out."     Snoopy