Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cmcl2!arizona!ric
From: ric@arizona.edu (Ric Anderson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: 0.9 installation problems
Keywords: 0.9, can't log in
Message-ID: <11554@megaron.arizona.edu>
Date: 10 Jun 89 18:43:57 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: U of Arizona CS Dept, Tucson
Lines: 32

We had an entertaining problem with the first machine we received
(came in June 9), with a floptical disk that said "0.9" on it.  We
plugged the machine in, booted from the floptical, and got up to the
"login" window.  No way could you get in!

Rebooting single user (took some guessing, but fortuanately someone
knew about command-`), we found that "me" and "root" were in
/etc/passwd with no password specified as expected.  Only after much
head scratching and bugging the campus support person (who was having
identical problems with his machine) did we learn that the
"real" password info is in /etc/netinfo/local.nidb/*.  Doing an
nidump of passwd from that area show NO "me" account, and
an encrypted "root" password.

We probably lost a day fiddling with this problem (kind of hard to
read the man pages and release notes till you are logged in).

A third machine that showed up a few days later had an identical
looking 0.9 disk, but the file dates/times on it were different,
as were the contents of the rc.local file.  In addition, this third
system booted up with no problems, and logged in as "me".

I guess this proves not all 0.9 release optical disks are created
equal.

Ric

Ric Anderson			Bitnet: Ric@Arizrvax
Member of the Technical Staff	Internet: ric@cs.arizona.edu
Department of Computer Science	AT&T: (602) 621-4048
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona 85721