Password Recovery for Expert Mode in Secure Platform

[kganesh@hcl.in]

Hi All

Can anyone tell me the procedure for resetting the lost expert mode password? I checked in this group and found few articles in it but none worked for me. We are running Checkpoint NGX R60 Secure Platform. We also came across an article in checkpoint web-site, where in it was mentioned that by commenting the following lines begining with password and lock in grub.conf file and then by logging into maintenance mode we will be able to reset the password. After commenting those lines and when we try to login into maintenance mode, the server is itself stops booting and the same screen stays. But when we client normal mode then it starts to boot.

Can anyone in this group tell me the procedure which will work for all?

thanks
Ganesh.K

[melipla]

I prefer the boot from a live linux cd, mount up the / partition and edit the /etc/shadow file and removing the root password method myself.

An example mount command once you boot from the cdrom (your root device may be different):
mount -o remount,rw /dev/sda8 /mnt

Just edit /mnt/etc/shadow to remove the password field: move to just beyond the first ":" and remove everything up to the next ":". With vi, that would be "/:" to move to the first ":", space bar once, then "d/:" and ENTER. You'll get a warning about changing a read-only file; that's normal. Before you do this, /mnt/etc/shadow might look like:

root:$1$8NFmV6tr$rT.INHxDBWn1VvU5gjGzi/:12209:0:99999:7:-1:-1:1074970543
bin:*:12187:0:99999:7:::
daemon:*:12187:0:99999:7:::
adm:*:12187:0:99999:7:::

and after, the first few lines should be:

root::12209:0:99999:7:-1:-1:1074970543
bin:*:12187:0:99999:7:::
daemon:*:12187:0:99999:7:::
adm:*:12187:0:99999:7:::

You'll need to force the write: with vi, ":wq!". Then reboot and eject the cd and try accessing expert with a blank password.

[NickBrandson]

I came across the same doc and situtaion as you before.
Did some test, yes, the screen stay by selecting the maint mode when it has been remarked as instructed, but you can still move the selection bar up and down, which mean it not hung at least.
Didn't remember exactly what I have done last time, try to hit the "tab" key and the "space bar" then it should work

Originally Posted by kganesh@hcl.in

Hi All

Can anyone tell me the procedure for resetting the lost expert mode password? I checked in this group and found few articles in it but none worked for me. We are running Checkpoint NGX R60 Secure Platform. We also came across an article in checkpoint web-site, where in it was mentioned that by commenting the following lines begining with password and lock in grub.conf file and then by logging into maintenance mode we will be able to reset the password. After commenting those lines and when we try to login into maintenance mode, the server is itself stops booting and the same screen stays. But when we client normal mode then it starts to boot.

Can anyone in this group tell me the procedure which will work for all?

thanks
Ganesh.K