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Operating Systems Linux Red Hat Fedora reset root password
# 1  
Old 01-21-2011
Fedora reset root password
I need some help with Fedora. I am trying to reset the root password. When I tried to login I was not able to. I kept getting the authentication failure message. I got the password reset success message.

Code:
passwd: all authentication tokens updated successfully.

I then thought maybe the root account was locked. So then I Enabled root login with the guide below. And again I got the authentication failure message. Can anyone tell me why this happened and how to fix this?

I then created another root account with the guide below. I was able to login with this second root account. Can anyone tell me why I was not able to login with the original root account? Is there a way to fix the original root account so I can login with it?

Change root password for Linux Fedora Core in runlevel 1. | Linux Windows Install Setup Configuration Project
Step by Step to Reset Change root Password on Fedora 10 | Linux Windows Install Setup Configuration Project
How to reset a root password - FedoraProject
Create root user account on Linux Fedora Core. | Linux Windows Install Setup Configuration Project
Step by step How to Enable root login on Fedora 10 | Linux Windows Install Setup Configuration Project
# 2  
Old 01-21-2011
Are you trying to log in locally?

Is it a vanilla install?

Have you cheched /etc/passwd?

What do /var/log/messages and /var/log/secure say?

Are you using NIS, LDAP, Kerberos, etc?
# 3  
Old 01-22-2011
Quote:
Originally Posted by verdepollo
Are you trying to log in locally?

Is it a vanilla install?

Have you cheched /etc/passwd?

What do /var/log/messages and /var/log/secure say?

Are you using NIS, LDAP, Kerberos, etc?
Yes I am.

No. I did a regular install from a disc.

What should I check /etc/passwd for? I have no idea what I need to check.

What should I check /var/log/messages and /var/log/secure for? They are both quite long.

Well since I don't have a clue what NIS, LDAP, Kerberos are I don't think I am using them.
# 4  
Old 01-23-2011
Please post contents of
Code:
/etc/passwd
/etc/shadow
/etc/pam.d/passwd

# 5  
Old 01-24-2011
Quote:
Originally Posted by fpmurphy
Please post contents of
Code:
/etc/passwd
/etc/shadow
/etc/pam.d/passwd

Here it is. root2 is the second root account that I added since the original root account wouldn't let me log in.

Code:
bash-4.0# cat /etc/passwd
root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash
bin:x:1:1:bin:/bin:/sbin/nologin
daemon:x:2:2:daemon:/sbin:/sbin/nologin
adm:x:3:4:adm:/var/adm:/sbin/nologin
lp:x:4:7:lp:/var/spool/lpd:/sbin/nologin
sync:x:5:0:sync:/sbin:/bin/sync
shutdown:x:6:0:shutdown:/sbin:/sbin/shutdown
halt:x:7:0:halt:/sbin:/sbin/halt
mail:x:8:12:mail:/var/spool/mail:/sbin/nologin
uucp:x:10:14:uucp:/var/spool/uucp:/sbin/nologin
operator:x:11:0:operator:/root:/sbin/nologin
games:x:12:100:games:/usr/games:/sbin/nologin
gopher:x:13:30:gopher:/var/gopher:/sbin/nologin
ftp:x:14:50:FTP User:/var/ftp:/sbin/nologin
nobody:x:99:99:Nobody:/:/sbin/nologin
vcsa:x:69:499:virtual console memory owner:/dev:/sbin/nologin
avahi-autoipd:x:499:498:avahi-autoipd:/var/lib/avahi-autoipd:/sbin/nologin
oprofile:x:16:16:Special user account to be used by OProfile:/home/oprofile:/sbin/nologin
ntp:x:38:38::/etc/ntp:/sbin/nologin
dbus:x:81:81:System message bus:/:/sbin/nologin
rpc:x:32:32:Rpcbind Daemon:/var/lib/rpcbind:/sbin/nologin
distcache:x:94:494:Distcache:/:/sbin/nologin
nscd:x:28:493:NSCD Daemon:/:/sbin/nologin
rpcuser:x:29:492:RPC Service User:/var/lib/nfs:/sbin/nologin
nfsnobody:x:65534:65534:Anonymous NFS User:/var/lib/nfs:/sbin/nologin
tcpdump:x:72:72::/:/sbin/nologin
avahi:x:498:490:avahi-daemon:/var/run/avahi-daemon:/sbin/nologin
apache:x:48:489:Apache:/var/www:/sbin/nologin
saslauth:x:497:488:"Saslauthd user":/var/empty/saslauth:/sbin/nologin
mailnull:x:47:487::/var/spool/mqueue:/sbin/nologin
smmsp:x:51:486::/var/spool/mqueue:/sbin/nologin
openvpn:x:496:485:OpenVPN:/etc/openvpn:/sbin/nologin
rtkit:x:495:484:RealtimeKit:/proc:/sbin/nologin
smolt:x:494:483:Smolt:/usr/share/smolt:/sbin/nologin
squid:x:23:23::/var/spool/squid:/sbin/nologin
sshd:x:74:482:Privilege-separated SSH:/var/empty/sshd:/sbin/nologin
webalizer:x:67:481:Webalizer:/var/www/usage:/sbin/nologin
torrent:x:493:480:BitTorrent Seed/Tracker:/var/lib/bittorrent:/sbin/nologin
haldaemon:x:68:479:HAL daemon:/:/sbin/nologin
pulse:x:492:478:PulseAudio System Daemon:/var/run/pulse:/sbin/nologin
gdm:x:42:474::/var/lib/gdm:/sbin/nologin
jr9744:x:500:500:Juan Rodriguez:/home/jr9744:/bin/bash
abrt:x:491:473::/etc/abrt:/sbin/nologin
root2:x:0:0::/home/root2:/bin/bash
bash-4.0# cat /etc/shadow
root:$6$Vh9yVXXj$onaqRA0LIYm0I8fFpdrupvAdh.iQKyNumkvkJhPcgA4QtzgzbCfSeJRXAqWTxoNFeVyVwXsv3JwKEJJklPA/z1:14993:0:99999:7:::
bin:*:14495:0:99999:7:::
daemon:*:14495:0:99999:7:::
adm:*:14495:0:99999:7:::
lp:*:14495:0:99999:7:::
sync:*:14495:0:99999:7:::
shutdown:*:14495:0:99999:7:::
halt:*:14495:0:99999:7:::
mail:*:14495:0:99999:7:::
uucp:*:14495:0:99999:7:::
operator:*:14495:0:99999:7:::
games:*:14495:0:99999:7:::
gopher:*:14495:0:99999:7:::
ftp:*:14495:0:99999:7:::
nobody:*:14495:0:99999:7:::
vcsa:!!:14643::::::
avahi-autoipd:!!:14643::::::
oprofile:!!:14643::::::
ntp:!!:14643::::::
dbus:!!:14643::::::
rpc:!!:14643:0:99999:7:::
distcache:!!:14643::::::
nscd:!!:14643::::::
rpcuser:!!:14643::::::
nfsnobody:!!:14643::::::
tcpdump:!!:14643::::::
avahi:!!:14643::::::
apache:!!:14643::::::
saslauth:!!:14643::::::
mailnull:!!:14643::::::
smmsp:!!:14643::::::
openvpn:!!:14643::::::
rtkit:!!:14643::::::
smolt:!!:14643::::::
squid:!!:14643::::::
sshd:!!:14643::::::
webalizer:!!:14643::::::
torrent:!!:14643::::::
haldaemon:!!:14643::::::
pulse:!!:14643::::::
gdm:!!:14643::::::
jr9744:$6$qiZDdTQ4HifIIqKb$AAzffxUoFB.MzFuaFdN1ZwO9pHQhO5nyJcO3Ojo7.YLQLp9ju3/5yjyw8jz/AVn2sS5bWBihf5aVC3V35GpOB0:14643:0:99999:7:::
abrt:!!:14648::::::
root2:$6$Y4bsw5BG$mdZnMzuIRSdMjhOo7GHsFqc90p/OBINfZQcGBQV/JrWL.pI3KKiMzxFXzCG20kpzTpuoJbH2oyyRGgGvXNFRF1:14993:0:99999:7:::
bash-4.0# cat /etc/pam.d/passwd
#%PAM-1.0
auth       include    system-auth
account    include    system-auth
password   substack    system-auth
-password   optional    pam_gnome_keyring.so
bash-4.0#

# 6  
Old 01-24-2011
Have you ever logged on successfully with root ?
It could be either the /etc/securetty file not allowing a root logon, or an entry in /etc/pam.d that only allows UID's >= 500 to logon. If it is the former, try:
Code:
mv /etc/securetty /etc/securetty.orig

and see if that makes a difference. If its the latter (cant remember whether Redhat and/or SuSE does this), try grepping for "uid" in the files in /etc/pam.d (probably either system-auth, or common-auth, or login, or gdm).
It should look something like:
Code:
auth requisite pam_succeed_if.so uid >= 500 quiet

Change it to:
Code:
auth requisite pam_succeed_if.so uid >= 0 quiet

And try again...
# 7  
Old 02-23-2011
I know this is old but I think my problem is that gnome had the root account locked. This happened again on a new install and after I followed the directions of how to unlock I could use it Smilie.

Unlock it from gnome.
Step by Step Enable Root Login on Fedora 11 GUI Desktop | Linux Windows Install Setup Configuration Project

Unlock it from kde.
Fedora Linux: Enabling the KDM login prompt instead of GDM desktop manager.
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