Messages in this thread | | | Date | Thu, 12 Aug 1999 16:47:42 -0400 (EDT) | From | "Richard B. Johnson" <> | Subject | Kernel-dependent utmp?? |
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Hello,
Two of my systems have Red-Hat release 3.0.3. I just encountered a problem which I don't understand and it's making it impossible for users to change their passwords. `passwd` uses getlogin() to confirm the user's name.
Given:
main() { puts(getlogin()); }
This returns the __first__ name in /var/run/utmp, rather than the correct one. In other words, it does not read the file, matching the UID to the last UID of the same value in the file.
If I truncate the file to zero length `>/var/run/utmp`, then login, the above program prints the correct login name. If I log out and log in again under another account, the above program prints the name of the previous person logged in, i.e., the first record in the file.
First I changed all the login utilities to make sure that they were all manipulating /var/run/utmp using the same structure definition. Then I changed all the sysVinit stuff. Still the same problem. Also I verified that /var/run/utmp increases in size by 768 bytes, the structure size, every time a login occurs.
So; "What does this have to do with the Linux kernel?", you ask. The system works correctly when booted from Linux version 2.1.16, the previous kernel installed. The problem started when I installed Linux 2.2.6. The 'C' runtime libraries were never changed.
To further explain the quandry, the __exact__ same root file-system, with only the network configuration changed (host name, IP address) runs fine on this system with the same kernel and even this kernel, which is now a "scary hacked/patched" 2.3.13
Does anybody have a clue where else I should look --and how a change in the kernel could possibly affect this stuff?
I need allow some users to change passwords!!
Cheers, Dick Johnson **** FILE SYSTEM WAS MODIFIED **** Penguin : Linux version 2.3.13 on an i686 machine (400.59 BogoMips). Warning : It's hard to remain at the trailing edge of technology.
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