I have used the system administration management trusted security system and in the process the root password have been changed or lost.

Is there any possible way to recover root status after this incident

If you don't have a root session logged on I'm afraid it is a reboot into single user mode - interrupt the boot sequence when it asks you to, search for a boot path, boot from that path (should be obvious which disk to select - look at the SCSI addressing), say yes to interacting with the ISL, at the ISL prompt type : hpux -is, and let it boot into single user mode.

mount -a to mount all filesystems. cd into the /tcb/files/auth/r directory, cp the root file, then edit it and delete the line beginning ":u_pwd". You can then change root passwd in the normal manner.

NOTE - if root passwd has been locked out due to too many incorrect login attempts run "/usr/lbin/modprpw -k root" to unlock, then undergo the above procedure for deleting root tcb entry.

Hope this helps.

Regards.

hi! i have login to single mode and went to edit the root profile as stated in your procedure. However, i do not see a ":u_pwd" there.

badly needed your help!!

Since the instruction are to delete the u_pwd field, maybe someone already did that and you actually have some other problem? Did someone else already try to remedy the problem? Or are you actually editing root's profile? That wasn't what the suggestion said to do. There is no way to guess what file you are looking at from your post... maybe you have the wrong file entirely. Read "man 4 authcap". It is customary but not requred for u_pwd to be on a separate line, could that be the problem? Other than that, it beats me.

Hi! Thanks for you reply!

I am trying to do this, as suggested by alwayslearningunix:

mount -a to mount all filesystems. cd into the /tcb/files/auth/r directory, cp the root file, then edit it and delete the line beginning ":u_pwd". You can then change root passwd in the normal manner.

However, i cannot find the :u_pwd. No one tried to remedy our problem because our knowledge in unix is very limited.I believe the root account is locked because of too many incorrect logon attempts. I tried doin what is suggested below but i can't find "/usr/lbin/modprpw -k root.

Btw, we are using Digital Unix V4.0D. Please help me!!

These instructions are for HP-UX, not Digital Unix. Sorry, I don't know Digital Unix.