Redhat 6.1 Password Change

[Bob McClure Jr]

Reordering again.

On Tue, Jun 22, 2004 at 09:24:44PM +0000, Aaron Rykhus wrote:
> >From: "Aaron Rykhus" <aprykhus42 at hotmail.com>
> >Reply-To: Getting started with Red Hat Linux 
> ><redhat-install-list at redhat.com>
> >To: redhat-install-list at redhat.com
> >Subject: Re: Redhat 6.1 Password Change
> >Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2004 21:21:28 +0000
> >
> >When I run passwd it says "Enter UNIX password"
> >
> >
> >>From: Bob McClure Jr <robertmcclure at earthlink.net>
> >>Reply-To: Getting started with Red Hat Linux 
> >><redhat-install-list at redhat.com>
> >>To: Getting started with Red Hat Linux <redhat-install-list at redhat.com>
> >>Subject: Re: Redhat 6.1 Password Change
> >>Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2004 15:39:17 -0500
> >>
> >>On Tue, Jun 22, 2004 at 08:30:27PM +0000, Aaron Rykhus wrote:
> >>> I'm new to Linux so don't laugh if this sounds retarded...I installed
> >>> RedHat 6.1 recently and have and can login to root and created my own 
> >>user
> >>> account that I can login to...I'm currently reading the RHCE book and 
> >>it
> >>> had me create an account with the passwd command.
> >>
> >>Umm, you don't create an account with "passwd".  You use "useradd" or
> >>some GUI tool.  "passwd" sets or changes a password for an existing
> >>account.
> >>
> >>> However, when I tried
> >>> testing logging into the account it doesn't work (login failed). I 
> >>checked
> >>> caps lock and changed it again a couple of times but still no luck. Any
> >>> thoughts???
> >>
> >>You're using a very ancient version of RedHat.  I seem to recall some
> >>problem with password but don't recall the exact nature of it.  I have
> >>seen passwd carp about your choice of password but go ahead and set it
> >>anyway.  Are you getting any odd messages when you run passwd?
> >>
> >>I presume you are root when you run passwd to change the user's
> >>password.
> >>
> >>Cheers,
> >>--
> >>Bob McClure, Jr.
> 
> The RHCE book instructed me to add the user to /etc/passwd then run passwd.

Aha!  Now, we're getting somewhere.  That's a very rude and crude way
to do it, and I don't know if it even works if you have a /etc/shadow
file.  I don't think you do.

You are far better off to use "useradd" (or maybe "adduser") to add
users.  That will create the proper passwd (and shadow, if you have
it) entry, create a home directory for the user, and other nice
details.

Please post the line from the /etc/passwd file.  My guess is that
something is amiss there.

Also let us know if you have /etc/shadow.

Cheers,
-- 
Bob McClure, Jr.             Bobcat Open Systems, Inc.
robertmcclure at earthlink.net  http://www.bobcatos.com
Prayer should be our first resource, not our last resort.