[lug] Re: linux

[rm at mamma.varadinet.de]

On Tue, Jun 19, 2001 at 11:44:36AM -0600, Bill Jorgensen wrote:
> On Tue, 19 Jun 2001, Hugh Brown wrote:
> 
> > My understanding is that the :x: means go look at /etc/shadow, whereas an
> > actual password would just be used for authentication.  So, you could null
> > the /etc/shadow password field and leave the :x: (don't know if that will
> > work, never tried it) or you could null /etc/passwd and should be
> > successful.
> 
> I would definitely try this. I have had to do (unfortunately) more than
> once. It works on other platforms. I have not done it within any Linux
> flavor.
> 
> You are right about the :x: entry within the password file. If you remove
> the password char string from shadow you should be okay. (As I said
> before, it has worked on other UNIX platforms.) One other thing, make sure
> you backup both the password and shadow file to make sure you have good
> copies if this goes south on you.
> 
Ups! Sorry, i think i somehow lost two lines in my last mail. Of course
my editing suggestions where meant to be done to /etc/shadow. I would
not recomend removing the 'x' from /etc/passwd because that might block
programms loke 'passwd' from working on the right files.
BTW, one more thing to mentkion: since the 'init=' entry on the boot 
command _substitutes_ the normal init program a lot of things are
different after you log in: none of the rcN.d scripts got executeed 
for example ....


 Ralf

 (slightly emabarrased  by the important omisssion).