*BSD News Article 68946


Return to BSD News archive

Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!news.uwa.edu.au!disco.iinet.net.au!news.uoregon.edu!hunter.premier.net!bofh.dot!news.mathworks.com!uunet!in2.uu.net!news.htp.net!vangogh.wic.net!ockers
From: ockers@vangogh.wic.net (Jim Ockers)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc
Subject: Users cannot change their passwords (BSDI 2.0)
Date: 19 May 1996 17:06:41 GMT
Organization: HTP Net, Inc. 516-757-2599
Lines: 46
Message-ID: <4nnkf1$t87@news.htp.net>
NNTP-Posting-Host: vangogh.wic.net
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2]

We are having a problem with a BSDI system wherein users cannot change
their passwords.  However, if a user becomes the superuser, then he can
change his password.  I have no explanation for this behavior since the
chsh, chfn, and chpass utilities all continue to work fine.  The execu-
tables and libs have not been modified since they were installed.  Here
is an example session and some system information:

[29] vangogh.wic.net:/ockers > passwd
Changing local password for ockers.
Old password:
New password:
Retype new password:
passwd: updating passwd database
passwd: password changed elsewhere.  no changes made

[30] vangogh.wic.net:/ockers > su
Password:
[1] vangogh.wic.net:/ockers > passwd
Changing local password for ockers.
New password:
Retype new password:
passwd: updating passwd database
passwd: done
[2] vangogh.wic.net:/ockers > exit
exit

[31] vangogh.wic.net:/ockers > uname -a
BSD/OS vangogh.wic.net 2.0 BSDI BSD/OS 2.0 Kernel #0: Fri Feb  3 17:51:37 MST 1995     
polk@delos.BSDI.COM:/home/polk/rel/foo/sys/compile/GENERIC  i386
[32] vangogh.wic.net:/ockers > ls -al `which passwd`
-r-sr-xr-x  1 root  bin  1620 Feb  3  1995 /usr/bin/passwd
[33] vangogh.wic.net:/ockers >

Now I know that in the past people used to be able to change their
passwords without having to be the superuser.

Does anybody have any ideas on how to fix this?  We really don't want
to have to let everybody be superuser just so they can change their
passwords.

--
Jim  (ockers@davidalan.com)                  Ask me about Linux!

My own site!            Check out http://ducktape.davidalan.com/
Contact info:           finger info@ockers.org