inetd problem in Unix Sco

Hi,

I cannot remote login into my unix sco server, only at the box itself, when I write root to login then enter, it immediately logs in without asking me the password :confused: , at the prompt it gives me this error :

inetd:system defaults databse couldn't be allocated due to : cannot read but root log in is allowed.

OVERRIDE : Cannot rewrite protected password entry

last succesful login for :NEVER
last unsuccesful login for : NEVER

I am trying to research this kind of error on the net, but i would really appreciate any help, i am also looking more about "inetd" using : man inetd.

Thanks.

I don't know what your problem is nor how to solve it. But I do know that the problem is not inetd. It is a victim, not a culprit.

It sounds like the system can't read /etc/passwd and so it is allowing root in on the console.

And messages like "can't read this" and "can't rewrite that" are more clues that your system is having trouble accesing files in the root filesystem. That is the sort of thing that I would be checking.

Agreed. Sounds like permissions and/or ownership of file problems.

Any hints on why my system is having trouble accessing files in the root filesystem?

I am no unix expert, sometimes i solve problems by just searching in the net and trying.

I just found that the file /etc/auth/system/default is empty on my Sco box, I checked the same file on the other Sco boxes I have, I found no differences, they are like general parameters, like up to how many characters the password should be, and other general parameters, i found no differences what so ever between the other machines, i am wandering if I just should do a copy from one of the machines to the one with the problem where this file is empty....lets hope this is the only problem.

If that file is empty, I guess that I too would copy it over. But letting root log in without a password is a very extreme move to make. That implies to me that it could not file root's encrypted passord for checking.

If you guys have multiple SCO boxes, surely you must have access to some unix expertise. This seems like a good time to bring in an expert.

I copied that file from another Sco Box, logged off then when I tried to log in , this time it asked me for the password, the crontab returned to work normally, and the machine is allowing remote remote log in, so i guess everything is fine right now.

Thanks.