Lost root password 1

[tonys123]

Hi

I am supposed to be working on a server where the users have lost the root password. It is SCO 5.0.5. The server is a ML370 with a 642 controller. They have an Emergency boot floppy from another machine with the same version of O/S but different controller so we can't mount the drive to edit the passwd file. To make matters worse, they have also lost the main media used to install the O/S. Has anyone got any ideas how I can get access to the root drive to try and edit the passwd file? Alternatively, I don't suppose anyone has an emergency boot floppy for a similar machine with that controller? Help!!! I am flying out on friday to try to get this sorted out.

 

[edfair]

My first try would be to mount the drive with the password problem on the second machine and burrow into the filesystem from there. This is assuming that the drive types are identical but doing that is also dangerous.

If you can find install media you could take a drive and create a bootable system with the existing hardware long enough to create a root&boot set.

Not an enviable job. Hope you are on T&M and not fixed rate.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[tonys123]

Thanks for that. The problem just got worse - the disk system is Raid 5 so we can't just pop the drive into another machine. What I am thinking of doing is inserting blank disks into the machine, installing the O/S and then, once that is done, create a set of boot floppies and then, once that is done, re-swap the drives, mount the one with the lost password and hack the passwd and shadow files.

However, I have read that it is possible to use the install boot floppy, link in the boot string for the controller, and then shell out to the # prompt, mount the drive and edit the password file. Does anyone have any experience of doing this? Is it possible or am I going to end up wiping the disk?

And no, I'm not on T&M, we are on a fixed rate so the least time I need to spend mucking about with this the better.

 

[edfair]

Think you can do it from the CD but would suggest that you visit A.P.Lawrence site for any guidance since Tony has a lot of stuff.

You'll need something to patch the raid stuff in. Didn't get the feeling that it was still available.

Don't envy you. Please keep notes and let us know how it went.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[tonys123]

I have managed to source a full set of media so if the worst comes to the worst, we will take out the existing disks, install new disks, do a full install of the O/S and create emergency floppies. Then, we can swap out the new disks and refit the original. As the emergency floppies will now have the kernel linked with the correct controller, we should be on a home run.

I have visited Tony's site and he does give details on how to hack in from the installation media so hopefully that will work without going through all the grief of swapping out the main disks.

One final question. The users are abroad and I fly out on Friday to start work on other aspects on Sunday. This wasn't part of the original brief but we need to resolve. To try to get ahead of the game, is there any way that I can e-mail/ftp the boot diskette so they can give it a go? I can download the CD to an ftp site, that isn't the problem. The question is, how can I send them the files on the floppy so that they may create a bootable floppy from it?

 

[edfair]

I think you are stuck at this point. With root access you would use dd.

I assume you will take a tattoo set with you. And tattoo the root password on at least two of the local people.

I'm curious as to the locations. Where you are and where the machine is. just general info, not specific. I've done my share of flying out like this but never more than 500 miles.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[tonys123]

OK...we are getting there...I think. We dd'd the file and e-mailed it to the user. He has another SCO box which he will use to re-create the floppy so we should be able to boot.

The tattoo set - great idea...and a large hammer to bang the info into their heads. You know, create emergency disks, don't lose the media, remember the password...have I missed anything?

I am in the UK in Birmingham and the users are in Bahrain...so I have a 7 hour flight. We start work on the Sunday (their first day of the week) so on the first 2 days I am working I don't have access to any UK Tech support as naturally we don't work on a Sunday and Monday 7th May is a holiday here - do I see a disaster looming?????

 

[edfair]

Does the controller require a BTLD or is it built into the OS?
And you have a patch set? 4+1+1 floppies. And a reload of the backup software? And of the application software and patches?
You might want to burn a backup of the install media to leave with them, along with duplicates of the patches and the BTLD.
I've been known to package this stuff and put it inside the box in those cases where the users are careless with what I need.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[tonys123]

The controller requires a BTLD but that isn't a problem as we downloaded it from the HP site. As for the application software, thats all OK too. The problem is the data which, although we can access from the back door will take ages to extract - I'm just keeping my fingers crossed we can get in with the boot floppy and CD - Tony Lawrence's site had a useful link.

We are slowly e-mailing the SCO CD in chunks but it is taking forever but hey, we'll get there.

I'll report back the outcome once I know what has happened and I'll put any tips on here.

 

[motoslide]

Not that this helps get you going faster, but I've had to resolve the same issue a couple of times for our Clients who've accidentally changed the root password. Once you get the system running, you can create an alternate login with the same UID as root. You can leave that account's password something you will never forget and they most likely won't touch it.
I'll see if I can find a system with 5.0.X running on a 641/642 controller. You should be able to mount the filesystem from 5.0.6 or 5.0.7 bootables as well.

"Proof that there is intelligent life in Oregon. Well, Life anyway.

 

[tonys123]

Hey, if you could find a boot floppy for a 642 controller that would be fantastic!! Fingers crossed.

 

[motoslide]

Sorry for the false hope. I couldn't get my hands on a box with the correct configuration to help you.

Is there any chance the "other SCO box" at the Client site has been configured with root equivalency with the "problem" system? That would be unusual, but pretty handy right now.

Best of luck!

"Proof that there is intelligent life in Oregon. Well, Life anyway.

 

[tonys123]

Damn. I had my hopes raised there. We have looked for a machine with root equivalence but can't find one. What we did do is dd the boot disk and e-mailed it to the user. That worked. But the install also needs the CD so we copied that. But we hit another problem. Windows sees the files as VOL_000.000 but SCO wants VOL.000.000; this is something to do with ISO9660 and rock-ridge extensions. Any ideas on how we can copy the CD 'properly' on a Windows machine - we don't have a SCO box operational with a CD drive and nor do we have a Linux box? Or, do you think we could just rename the file from VOL_000.000 to VOL.000.000?

I'm losing the will to live here

 

[edfair]

As far as copying the CD , I used NERO in copy mode. Just a dumb track by track dump. But test it for readability, and it still will be best to take the original with you because the lithgraphed read better than the burned.

You might want to buy an extra install media kit. They were running $30 or so on ebay the last time I checked.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[tonys123]

Ed...Thanks, good idea. We created a copy of the CD using Nero and then used a utility called NRG2ISO to convert the Nero NRG file to ISO. We are uploading that to the client but as the file is 270MB, what with the time difference between us in the UK and the users in Bahrain, we won't know until tomorrow if we have a success. If we do, we should then be able to boot from the install media with 'tools' and shell out to enable us to edit the passwd file.

I shall keep this updated so hopefully others won't have to go through this trauma should something similar happen to them.

 

[KenCunningham]

Good luck, Tony.

I want to be good, is that not enough?

 

[motoslide]

Yes. Good Luck!!
These are the tasks we geekier SCO folks enjoy resolving. It may sound daunting, but isn't this more exciting than killing a print job or resolving a flow-control issue, or (yuck!) solving a sendmail configuration issue?
You will emerge a hero in their eyes, even if they don't understand the significance of the situation.



"Proof that there is intelligent life in Oregon. Well, Life anyway.

 

[tonys123]

SUCCESS!!! This is what we did....

1. Extracted the contents of the 5.0.5 boot diskette on another SCO box using the dd command anf ftp'd that file to a Windows box.

2. Copied the SCO media using Nero to copy to a file.

3. Took the resulting NRG file and ran it through NRG2ISO.EXE utility we found on the web.

4. Booted the 'bad' server from the new boot diskette we created - remembering to enter the 'link = xxx' driver and at the boot prompt also enter 'tools'.

5. We followed the screen instructions until we were given the option to shell out (Execute a shell on ramdisk filesystems).

6. We then mounted the root drive and from there it was plain sailing.

Thanks guys for your advise and support - it was appreciated.

 

[KenCunningham]

A well deserved star, Tony.

I want to be good, is that not enough?

 

[tonys123]

Thanks for the vote, Ken.