[PLUG] Re: Terminal/shell login with no password

[Tom Diehl <tdiehl@rogueind.com>]

On Thu, 18 Aug 2005, John Von Essen wrote:

> Use "vipw" to edit the password file when making these types of changes, DONT 
> simply edit /etc/passwd.
>
> clear out the password between the two colons
>
> You want -> user::1000:1000  instead of ->  user:$1Sfd5s:1000:1000
>
> Then save and exit out of vipw. That should be it.

Unless you are using some ancient version of *nix the encrypted passwds are in
/etc/shadow. Contrary to the above advice it is very possible to edit the files
directly as long as you are careful. Besides the passwd file is not the one you
want to edit.

A normal shadow entry loosk like this:
tdiehl:$1$W/$rmFZjNmJzH3PJtnr/5/:12899:0:9999
One with no passwd looks like this:
tdiehl::12899:0:9999

HTH,

Tom

> -john
>
>
> On Aug 20, 2005, at 8:29 PM, Eric wrote:
>
> > I need some SysAdmin advice...
> >
> > I have a Red Hat box that I'm installing some software on and the users 
> > expect
> > to connect with no password.  I'm okay with that since it's not on the
> > network and they are all hard-wired terminals.  First I tried zeroing out 
> > the
> > password in the neat little gooey (GUI) tool but it won't let me save the
> > user that way.  Failing that, I tried to replace the "x" in the password 
> > file
> > with nothing.  No joy - the login fails without even asking for the 
> > password.
> >
> > Does this mean that I have to tinker with PAM?   Last time I tried that I
> > froze myself out of the damn box so bad I had to boot into single user mode
> > and un-do my mistake(s).  Since then I've just left it alone :-)
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Eric
> > --
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > #  Eric A Lucas
> > #  ------------
> > #   "Oh, I have slipped the surly bond of earth
> > #    and danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings...
> > #        -- John Gillespie Magee Jr.
> > ___________________________________________________________________________
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> ___________________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________________
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Announcements - http://lists.phillylinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug-announce
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