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creating an account

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benzi

Technical User
Feb 17, 2002
5
AT
Hi,
I just wanted to create a new account at a SCO Unix 3.x Server.
the system showed the following message:
"Error
An error occured when creating user: test
Line 60 of /etc/passwd has an invalid format"

what can I do solving this problem? which format is not invalid ? (i used only letters or letters in combination with numbers)

Thanks a lot,

mm
 
It's probably not what you typed- and it may have happened before this.

First, what version do you really have- 3.x covers way too many years- do "uname -X"

Second, what does

sed -n 60p /etc/passwd

show? If it's not the user you just tried adding, then it may already have been broken.

Finally- HOW did yuu add the user? Through Scoadmin or with useradd at the command line? Have you sucessfully added other accounts?

Tony Lawrence
SCO Unix/Linux Resources tony@pcunix.com
 
Dear Paul Lawrence,
Thanks for your reply.

the version: SCO Open Server Release 3.2v4.2

the last line in the passwd-file is:
showed by sed -n 60p /etc/passwd

< bad > :x:::::

I started the sysadmsh at prompt and I looked into the passwd file.
the saving of this file is possible.


I am looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Matthias Mühlbacher
 
I'm not Paul Lawrence :)

I'd manually (vi) remove that line, and the equivalent from /etc/shadow if it exists. Then look in /tcb/files/auth/*/ for any unusual entries if that exists. Finally, run fixmog to try to fix this stuff up.

(Whether or not you have /etc/shadow and the /tcb/files/auth hierarchchy depends on the security level you have set- see &quot;man relax&quot; ) Tony Lawrence
SCO Unix/Linux Resources tony@pcunix.com
 
HI !
At first I just wanted to say I am sorry for writing Paul instead of Tony.

After I have removed the line I have started the integrity program for testing the system.
the report shows that:
&quot;/etc/inittab (entry 84) is wrong.
/usr/lib/cron/at.allow (entry 242) is missing.
/usr/lib/cron/cron.allow (entr 244) is missing.&quot;

then I started fixmog -i (the interactive mode)

&quot;change group of /etc/inittab from group to audit
change mode of /etc/inittab from 0644 to 0664&quot;

What's wrong? What means &quot;from group to audit &quot; and from mode 0644 to 0664 .

Does the second message /usr/... of integrity report relate to the other problem?

Thanks a lot for your help.

Matthias Mühlbacher
 
Sounds to me like someone who doesn't understand the tcb files has been manually editing files on your system.


Fixing all this is more than I have the mental energy to even try I suggest you get a local consultant to come in and work on this: see Tony Lawrence
SCO Unix/Linux Resources tony@pcunix.com
 
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