On 2021-02-09 07:35, David Wright wrote:
On Mon 08 Feb 2021 at 18:26:22 (-0800), David Christensen wrote:
On 2021-02-08 15:15, David Wright wrote:
On Mon 08 Feb 2021 at 13:02:21 (-0800), David Christensen wrote:
On 2021-02-08 00:40, Marco Möller wrote:
You could bypass any password request during boot to the console
and then fix it by setting the desired password newly. The boot
parameter for bypassing all password request an right away
becoming logged in as user root is:
init=/sbin/sulogin --force
That is interesting. But, how does the reader *use* that information[?] ...
My WAG (untested):
1. Power up the computer.
2. The GRUB menu should be displayed:
*Debian GNU/Linux
Advanced options for Debian GNU/Linux
3. Press the down arrow key to highlight "Advanced options for Debian
GNU/Linux". Press <Enter> to select it.
If you're heading for sulogin, I'm not sure it matters which line you
pick, as it means s(ingle)u(se)rlogin.
Testing confirms that I can edit either boot entry and get the same result.
4. A second GRUB menu should be displayed (the OP should have a newer
kernel):
Yes, you warned us you're using stretch.
*Debian GNU/Linux, with Linux 4.9.0-9-amd64
Debian GNU/Linux, with Linux 4.9.0-9-amd64 (recovery mode)
5. Press the down arrow key to select the "... (recovery mode)" boot
entry. Press 'e' to edit it.
6. The GRUB editor should start and display the contents of the
selected boot entry. Look for the line that begins with 'linux'. Use
the cursor keys to move the insertion point to the end of that line
and add the following kernel boot parameters:
init=/sbin/sulogin --force
7. "Press Ctrl+x or F10 to boot".
Is the above correct?
Yes.
Testing confirms the above steps.
AIUI --force deals with the case where there is no root
password/the root account is locked.
Testing confirms that if there is a valid root password, it must be
entered to obtain a root shell.
2. How do I insert a tab character with the GRUB editor? (Pressing
<Tab> causes the editor to attempt command completion.)
I think Greg's guess was good. You don't need tabs or any other cosmetics.
Testing confirms that leading tabs are not required in a GRUB boot entry.
3. Will changes made to a boot entry with the GRUB editor persist for
subsequent boots?
No.
Testing confirms that changes made to a boot entry via the GRUB editor
do not persist beyond one boot.
David
