recovering/resetting root password. ?

hi,

my query refers to recovering/reseting the 'root' password ?

is there any way to do the same without restarting the OS.

any soln either related to solaris or linux would do.

DukeNM wrote:
> hi,
>
> my query refers to recovering/reseting the 'root' password ?
>
> is there any way to do the same without restarting the OS.
>
> any soln either related to solaris or linux would do.

Without restarting the OS?? That's a somewhat unusual request.

It depends on how you're managing passwords. I'll assume the
simplest case --

As long as you're already logged on as root, you can probably
edit /etc/shadow and delete the current munged password.

--
The e-mail address in our reply-to line is reversed in an attempt to
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DukeNM wrote:
> hi,
>
> my query refers to recovering/reseting the 'root' password ?
>
> is there any way to do the same without restarting the OS.
>
> any soln either related to solaris or linux would do.

BTW, if you know the root password already, it's easy. Just log
in as root and change it. My other answer assumed you don't know
the root password.

--
The e-mail address in our reply-to line is reversed in an attempt to
minimize spam. Our true address is of the form che...@prodigy.net.

tridentadm@softhome.net (DukeNM) writes:

]hi,

]my query refers to recovering/reseting the 'root' password ?

]is there any way to do the same without restarting the OS.

]any soln either related to solaris or linux would do.

Which is it?
You cannot recover it. You can reset it but only by rebooting.

CJT <abujlehc@prodigy.net> said:
>DukeNM wrote:
>> my query refers to recovering/reseting the 'root' password ?

>As long as you're already logged on as root, you can probably
>edit /etc/shadow and delete the current munged password.

Why hand-edit? 'passwd' doesn't ask for current password when the
invoking user is root -- so as long as you're already root, you can
change the password without knowing what it previously was.

Without being root, boot the system to maintenance/single user mode
(provided that it isn't set up to ask for root password when entering
single-user mode), and change the password.

If the system asks for root password upon entering single-user mode,
boot from recovery media, mount the root filesystem manually, and
edit the root password entry in the etc/shadow file (note the relative
path; it'll be within the directory in which you mounted the real root
filesystem).
--
Wolf a.k.a. Juha Laiho Espoo, Finland
(GC 3.0) GIT d- s+: a C++ ULSH++++$ P++@ L+++ E- W+$@ N++ !K w !O !M V
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Juha Laiho <Juha.Laiho@iki.fi> writes:

[snip]
> If the system asks for root password upon entering single-user mode, boot
> from recovery media, mount the root filesystem manually, and edit the
> root password entry in the etc/shadow file

Ach, nah. Assert an init=/bin/sh on the end of the kernel boot parameter
line. Just remember to `mount -o rw,remount /' as well...

~Tim
--
Another day, |piglet@stirfried.vegetable.org.uk
Another apt-get dist-upgrade |http://pig.sty.nu/Pictures/gallery/

Hi,
Resetting your root password can be done by using the passwd command.
You could always recover a forgotten/lost root password with the help of
rescue disk. There are other ways too. This is an interesting link you
might want to see.
http://linuxgazette.net/107/tomar.html
~Madhu
DukeNM wrote:
> hi,
>
> my query refers to recovering/reseting the 'root' password ?
>
> is there any way to do the same without restarting the OS.
>
> any soln either related to solaris or linux would do.