Re: [cobalt-users] Raq3 admin & root passwords

[Jonas Pasche <jonas@xxxxxxxx>]

hi there,

> WHAT? Changing the admin password from the gui also changes root password?
> I've to check that...
>
> ... Yes you are right.

news from the "cool isp" (thanks to michael *g*) that delivers raq servers 
with different admin/root passwords. :))

i couldn't sleep while thinking about this 
"admin-password-changes-root-password" mechanism (we've noticed that since 
months). now i've found out how to disable this. this information is only 
for a raq3 and not tested on a raq2 yet. it is tested only once on a raq3 
and works fine, but i don't know if there are problems that aren't obvious 
at the moment, so use this on your own risk. it's just quick-and-dirty.

take a look into User.pm, sub user_mod:

[...]
# Arguments: ("login","new description","new cleartext password","new 
quota","new shell")
# Side effects: modifies the password file
#   If we change the password for admin, we also do it for root.
[...]

go to line 714; there is the condition to check if you change the admin user:

[...]
if (($newdescr || $newpasswd || $newshell || $newgroup) && ($name eq 
$Adminuser))
[...]

a bit later (line 723) starts the routine to change the admin _and_ root 
password:

[...]
{
  while (<PASSWD>)
  {
    if (/^$Adminuser:/o)
  {
    print PTMP "$name:$pass:$uid:$gid:$desc:$dir:$shell\n";
  }
    elsif (/^root:/o)
  {
    print PTMP "root:$pass:0:0:Root:/root:/bin/sh\n";
  }
    else
  {
    print PTMP;
  }
}
close PASSWD;
[...]

you can comment the important lines out [this will definitively void your 
warranty]:

[...]
{
  while (<PASSWD>)
  {
    if (/^$Adminuser:/o)
  {
    print PTMP "$name:$pass:$uid:$gid:$desc:$dir:$shell\n";
  }
#    elsif (/^root:/o)
#  {
#    print PTMP "root:$pass:0:0:Root:/root:/bin/sh\n";
#  }
    else
  {
    print PTMP;
  }
}
close PASSWD;
[...]

keep this in mind: i don't know how the password is reset if you use the 
password reset port on the raq front. i guess it is using the same method. 
so if you forget your passwords, you are only able to reset the admin 
password with the password reset port. you can NOT reset the root password 
(didn't have the time to prove this yet).

anybody knows how resetting the password with the port works? if you use 
the port, which program is called?

cya, jonas.


____________________________________________
Jonas Pasche
Technischer Support

webagentur Domke GmbH

Rheinstr. 3 - 64283 Darmstadt - Germany

Telefon +49 6151 17742-33
Telefax +49 6151 293173

http://www.domke.de

mailto:j.pasche@xxxxxxxx
____________________________________________