On Wed, 27 Nov 2002 09:08:33 +0000, "Karl E. Jorgensen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>On Wed, Nov 27, 2002 at 04:13:06AM +0000, Pigeon wrote: >> On Tue, 26 Nov 2002 22:35:42 +0000, "Karl E. Jorgensen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> >> >On Tue, Nov 26, 2002 at 07:42:18PM +0000, Pigeon wrote: > >[...] > >> > > 2) I have a dead file somewhere that is interfering with some userid >> > > stuff. Some of my directories give numerical user/group ids instead of >> > > root or pigeon. exim refuses to start with "can't get user name for >> > > userid x" errors, so no mail functions work. My /etc/passwd and >> > > /etc/shadow seem to be OK; they contain the following (and also a >> > > peculiar gnats/admin entry which I don't understand): (I haven't got >> > > round to setting up shadow passwords yet) >> > > >> > > root:onetwothreefour:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash >> > > pigeon:wedontwantyourbloodywar:1000:1000:Pigeon,,,:/home/pigeon:/bin/bash >> > > gnats:*:41:41:Gnats Bug-Reporting System >> > > (admin):/var/lib/gnats/gnats-db:/bin/sh > >I should have picked up on this before: my entry for gnats looks like >this: > gnats:x:41:41:Gnats Bug-Reporting System (admin):/var/lib/gnats/gnats-db:/bin/sh >i.e. on one line - it might just have linewrapped in your post, but >better be sure... That's cool - it was OK in the original file. Turned out it linewrapped in the editor when I removed passwords etc. before posting it. >> > > >> > > Any ideas where I should be looking for the fault? >> > >> >Basically that number is not found in /etc/passwd ... As a short-term >> >measure, you can create a new user (adduser --uid xxx --gid yyy) should >> >buy you time (make sure that this user cannot log in). >> >> Sorry. I should have said that x = 0 or 1000, ie. the usernames it >> can't find are root and pigeon, whose userids ARE in /etc/passwd! I >> also have a few directories - haven't found any pattern so far - in >> which ls -l shows 0 or 1000 instead of root or pigeon for the >> owner/group. Most directories are OK though. > >I hope that the directories that are OK are not owned by root or pigeon >(that would imply an intermittent error. Yuck). > >I'm almost out of ideas... What does pwck and grpck say ? HEY WOW - IT WORKS!! Thanks! pwck hated my /etc/shadow. This had got screwed in a system crash (my fault, not Linux's) and I got things working again by copying /etc/passwd to it. Since nearly everything worked I figured /etc/shadow had to be OK now! pwck deleted EVERY ENTRY in it and now everything seems to be working. whoami works, my screwed directories have come back to normal and I can send mail to myself. Cool! Next thing I need is a really good HOWTO etc. on how to get a BASIC batch-send/receive email setup up and running. Thanks again, Pigeon -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
