marc@skypod.uucp (Marc Fournier) (04/23/91)
Hi again, I'm a new Minix user and am having my problems getting it up and running. Mostly small problems that I do fix, but I've run across one that I don't know: Why won't my passwd file keep any new accounts? If I reboot, the passwd file resets to the original values. Is there anyway around this or something I'm forgetting to do? BTW, I'm still on floppy's. Does that make any difference? We're looking at hard drive installation by the weekend, so if that does make a difference, then hopefully the problem goes away...right? Oh well...thanks for any help, it is very appreciated. -- | Marc G. Fournier (416) 250-8589 | Haven't thought of anything | | Toronto, Ontario | real witty to say here! | | uucp: marc@skypod.uucp --------- And probably... | | Bitnet: marc%skypod@ugw.utcs.utoronto.ca | never will! |
jac@dobag.north.de (Joerg Conradt) (04/25/91)
marc@skypod.uucp (Marc Fournier) writes: >Hi again, > I'm a new Minix user and am having my problems getting it up and >running. Mostly small problems that I do fix, but I've run across one >that I don't know: > Why won't my passwd file keep any new accounts? If I reboot, the >passwd file resets to the original values. Is there anyway around this >or something I'm forgetting to do? BTW, I'm still on floppy's. Does >that make any difference? We're looking at hard drive installation >by the weekend, so if that does make a difference, then hopefully the >problem goes away...right? >Oh well...thanks for any help, it is very appreciated. hello Marc oh yes, you do forget something! if you boot minix, the root-disk is loaded in the ram (at least atari-st version!) (that's all exapt of /usr !!!). If you now change a password in the /etc/passwd file, you change it in the ram and if you reboot, the ram will be booted from disk again! This means, you'll have to copy the /etc/passwd-file from the ram to the root disk. simply enter: <login as root!> /etc/umount /dev/dd0 # if this is your /usr-disk <Change disk in floppy to the root-disk now!> /etc/mount /dev/dd0 /tmp /bin/cp /etc/passwd /tmp/etc/passwd # be sure disk is not write protected /etc/umount /dev/dd0 <put in the disk-drive the /usr-disk again> /etc/mount /dev/dd0 /usr <now go on working...> If you reboot with the modified root-disk now, the new /etc/passwd-file will be copied in the ram, and you have to enter the new password! This works for any other file as well, of course! (e.g. /etc/group) and needless to say: only root is allowed to do so! Greeting Joerg If any questions, contact me! -- UUCP: jac@dobag.in-berlin.de | - The number of viewers watching you is Alias Joerg Conradt | proportional to the stupidity of your 1000 Berlin 41 Germany | action. ++ 0307958397 | - "Murphy was an optimist"
grundy@rtf.bt.co.uk (Martin Grundy) (04/25/91)
In article <1991Apr23.030431.3481@skypod.uucp> marc@skypod.uucp (Marc Fournier) writes: >Hi again, > > I'm a new Minix user and am having my problems getting it up and >running. Mostly small problems that I do fix, but I've run across one >that I don't know: > > Why won't my passwd file keep any new accounts? If I reboot, the >passwd file resets to the original values. Is there anyway around this >or something I'm forgetting to do? BTW, I'm still on floppy's. Does >that make any difference? We're looking at hard drive installation >by the weekend, so if that does make a difference, then hopefully the >problem goes away...right? > >Oh well...thanks for any help, it is very appreciated. > > >-- >| Marc G. Fournier (416) 250-8589 | Haven't thought of anything | >| Toronto, Ontario | real witty to say here! | >| uucp: marc@skypod.uucp --------- And probably... | >| Bitnet: marc%skypod@ugw.utcs.utoronto.ca | never will! | Hi there... If you are running Minix from floppies, then most likely your root file- system is on RAM disk. (After you type "=" while booting, does the screen show "RAM disk >0 k" ?) If this is so, then you have to update the "root" floppy in order to keep *any* updated files, as you will lose any files on the RAM disk when you re-boot. To do this, mount the root floppy as /user, (make sure you have a good copy first :-), then copy /etc/passwd to /user/etc/passwd. The commands are: (log in as root first though). mount /dev/fd0 /user cp /etc/passwd /user/etc/passwd umount /dev/fd0 NB. replace fd0 with the correct device name for your floppy. Hope this helps. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Martin Grundy | email: grundy@rtf.bt.co.uk British Telecom Customer Systems | Hyperion House | phone: +44 273 762102 96-99 Queens Road | fax: +44 273 722038 or Brighton BN1 3XF. | +44 273 762071 (netfax)
protonen@daimi.aau.dk (Lars J|dal) (04/25/91)
marc@skypod.uucp (Marc Fournier) writes: ... > Why won't my passwd file keep any new accounts? If I reboot, the >passwd file resets to the original values. Is there anyway around this >or something I'm forgetting to do? BTW, I'm still on floppy's. Does >that make any difference? We're looking at hard drive installation >by the weekend, so if that does make a difference, then hopefully the >problem goes away...right? ... Your problem is that the passwd file is kept on the RAM-disk. This is because it has to be accessible (e.g. ls -l uses it to get the user names from the uid), regardless what disks the user has mounted. So, when you edit your passwd file it is only changed on the RAM-disk, and when your reboot, the old passwd file is loaded from the root disk. What you has to do is either: 1) Mount the disk with the root file system image (the root disk) to e.g. /user and edit the passwd file /user/etc/passwd or 2) Edit your passwd file /etc/passwd on the RAM-disk, mount the root disk to /user and cp /etc/passwd /user/etc/passwd Remember to type sync (or just log out), reboot, and voila! Your new account has survived. If still confused, E-mail me. +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Lars J|dal | (put your favourite quotation here) | | protonen@daimi.aau.dk | | |--------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Computer Science Department - Aarhus University - Aarhus - Denmark | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
S12187TJ@semassu.edu (04/26/91)
SMU, 25-APR-1991
Sounds like you are only modifying the passwd that is on your ram disk.
Mount the floppy (say in /user) and modify /user/etc/passwd.
TomHIGGINS@ge-dab.ge.com> (04/26/91)
> Why won't my passwd file keep any new accounts? If I reboot, the >passwd file resets to the original values. Is there anyway around this >or something I'm forgetting to do? BTW, I'm still on floppy's. Does >that make any difference? We're looking at hard drive installation >by the weekend, so if that does make a difference, then hopefully the >problem goes away...right? The password file is normally loaded to the ramdisk, thus any changes made to it need to be saved manually to the disk you use to load the ramdisk... Sean
peter@pa3ebv.nl.mugnet.org (Peter J. de Vrijer) (04/26/91)
In article <1991Apr23.030431.3481@skypod.uucp>, marc@skypod.uucp (Marc Fournier) wrote: > Why won't my passwd file keep any new accounts? If I reboot, the > passwd file resets to the original values. Is there anyway around this > or something I'm forgetting to do? Yes you are. At boot time the image of the root device is loaded from a floppydisk (partition of harddisk) to /dev/ram. /dev/ram is then used as root device. Any changes to the 'passwd' file will go into /dev/ram. But if you reboot the old image is again loaded into /dev/ram. Solution: After changing 'passwd' (or anything else in /dev/ram) put the root disk in drive 0 and do cp /dev/ram /dev/fd0 You then have a new root image when you reboot. > BTW, I'm still on floppy's. Does that make any difference? The same applies when you have the root image on a partition of your harddisk. I think this is the case with PH 1.5 Minix. Regards from Peter. Peter J. de Vrijer | UUCP: peter@pa3ebv.nl.mugnet.org Tel: +31 38 660735 | packet radio: peter@pa3ebv.ampr.org Ministerlaan 9 | 8014 PL Zwolle | "And yet I'm happy, The Netherlands | I can't figure it out." Snoopy
waltje@uwalt.nl.mugnet.org (Fred 'The Rebel' van Kempen) (04/28/91)
marc@skypod.uucp (Marc Fournier) wrote: > > Why won't my passwd file keep any new accounts? If I reboot, the > passwd file resets to the original values. Is there anyway around this > or something I'm forgetting to do? BTW, I'm still on floppy's. Does > that make any difference? We're looking at hard drive installation > by the weekend, so if that does make a difference, then hopefully the > problem goes away...right? Wrong. RTFM !! Standard MINIX (gna... :-) uses a root file system in RAM by default. This means, that most directories in / are actually RAM, not on disk. So, when you add a new user to /etc/passwd, it will be gone after a reboot, unless you copy the changed files to the RAM disk image ("Root File System" diskette, or /dev/hd3 partition on HD). Fred. -- MicroWalt Corporation, for MINIX Development waltje@uwalt.nl.mugnet.org Tel (+31) 252 230 205, Hoefbladhof 27, 2215 DV VOORHOUT, The Netherlands "An Operating System is what the _USERS_ think of it- me"