[RESOLVED] Reset root password

[mlong]

Is there a way to reset the root password? It seems that I changed the password and don't know what it is.

[WarheadsSE]

On which device, and is the OS on the NAND or a drive?

[pepedog]

Is there a way to reset the root password? It seems that I changed the password and don't know what it is.

Can you edit the /etc/shadow file somehow?

[eblack]

Is there a way to reset the root password? It seems that I changed the password and don't know what it is.

I got an idea from the ArchWiki article on Password Recovery (https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Password_Recovery).

While in U-Boot, try appending this line to the end of the bootargs variable:

Code: Select all

init=/bin/bash

Then boot your plug without saving the U-Boot environment variables. Ideally this would give you a command prompt as root on your plug, then you can change or delete the root password as described in the ArchWiki article linked above.

I have not tried this on my plug, but I do not believe that it can make your situation any worse.

[mlong]

WarheadsSE - SheevaPlug, on a card.

pepedog - don't know how do get to there without logging in

eblack - which bootargs? there are three or four but i tried all of them and nothing.

[eblack]

Since you say that you are running from a card, you could try to mount the card in a card reader on a computer running Linux, then edit the /etc/shadow file on the card, as described in the ArchWiki page on Password Recovery.

If that does not work, I have no other ideas outside reinstalling Arch Linux ARM install Linux.

[mlong]

I was able to edit the file this way.

thanks

[dantheman120]

eblacks method works and is the easiest I think.

Uboot passes parmeters to the kernel as/before it boots it. In Uboot these are stored under the bootargs varible. You need to append the "init=/bin/sh" (depends upon the shell you are using) to this line and you will be booted straight into the shell. Where you can set password as normal.

Depends upon how Uboot is set up to. Some devices don't have the bootargs varible set up by default, this is set at boottime. This can make it a little more complex but still simple to sort out if you understand uboot commands.