rhodes@grebyn.com (Ned Rhodes) (02/14/90)
I had a disk go bad on a V.3 system. I formatted up another drive and did a re-installation of unix. I then overlaid my backup tape to take care of the differences. The system comes up fine with one exception. I can only login as root. Whenever I try another username, it gives me the initial login banner and then says "no shell". If I log in as root and then do an "su newusername", I get the error message "su: No shell". Can anyone enlighten me as to what the problem is? The manual page for su does not list any error messages. Under login, I find that the no shell error message says that it cannot read the password file. In looking at that, the protections all look correct. Can anyone hazard a guess as to what the problem might be. Thanks. -- Ned W. Rhodes (703) 534-2297 (voice) Software Systems Group (703) 237-9654 (fax) 2001 North Kenilworth Street CompuServe : 71321,424 Arlington, VA 22205 rhodes@grebyn.COM
jpp@tygra.UUCP (John Palmer) (02/14/90)
In article <19379@grebyn.com> rhodes@grebyn.com (Ned Rhodes) writes: } ...[some stuff deleted...] }it gives me the initial login banner and then says "no shell". If I log }in as root and then do an "su newusername", I get the error message "su: }No shell". } Can anyone enlighten me as to what the problem is? The manual }page for su does not list any error messages. Under login, I find that }the no shell error message says that it cannot read the password file. }In looking at that, the protections all look correct. Can anyone hazard }a guess as to what the problem might be. Thanks. } That mesage usually occurs if the shell field in the password file entry is bad (ie: if the file it specifies doesnt exist or is not executable). Check you password file entry. Also, what is the access setting on the shell files (/bin/csh and /bin/sh)?? Maybe their mode is set so that the cant be executed by other users. -- = CAT-TALK Conferencing Network, Prototype Computer Conferencing System = - 1-800-825-3069, 300/1200/2400/9600 baud, 8/N/1. New users use 'new' - = as a login id. E-Mail Address: jpp%tygra.UUCP@sharkey.cc.umich.edu = - <<<Redistribution to GEnie PROHIBITED!!!>>>> -
nik@st_nik.UUCP (Nik Simpson x333) (02/15/90)
In article <19379@grebyn.com>, rhodes@grebyn.com (Ned Rhodes) writes: > > I had a disk go bad on a V.3 system. I formatted up another > drive and did a re-installation of unix. I then overlaid my backup tape > to take care of the differences. The system comes up fine with one > exception. I can only login as root. Whenever I try another username, > it gives me the initial login banner and then says "no shell". If I log > in as root and then do an "su newusername", I get the error message "su: > No shell". Often the problem is that the passwd file is missing or has an invalid field in it. Any passwd entries after the invalid field will not be usable. I would suggest you run the /etc/pwck command which will tell you about any bad fields in the /etc/passwd file. Hope this helps, most problems we have like this are from this cause. -- |--------------------------------------------------| | Nik Simpson UUCP : uunet!ingr!swndn!st_nik!nik| | Senior Systems Engineer. Intergraph UK Ltd. | |--------------------------------------------------|
cpcahil@virtech.uucp (Conor P. Cahill) (02/15/90)
In article <19379@grebyn.com> rhodes@grebyn.com (Ned Rhodes) writes: >exception. I can only login as root. Whenever I try another username, >it gives me the initial login banner and then says "no shell". If I log The problem is either in the passwd file or with /bin/sh itself. Verify that /bin/sh has a mode of at least 555 and that the passwd entries for whatever user's you are trying to login as are actually set up to run /bin/sh (or get it as the default). This error message will also show up under some system V.3s if the login program is not an executable file (i.e you can't have a shell command file as the login shell). -- +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Conor P. Cahill uunet!virtech!cpcahil 703-430-9247 ! | Virtual Technologies Inc., P. O. Box 876, Sterling, VA 22170 | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+